


~The Adventures of Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon~

by Sepublic



Series: The Stories of Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon [1]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys, Fanfic that goes way out of control, Lloyd Garmadon origin, Mostly Canon Compliant, Origin Story, POV First Person, Prequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-20 13:43:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 36,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18993793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sepublic/pseuds/Sepublic
Summary: A prequel/origin of Lloyd Garmadon and his days at Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys, and the first and shortest part of a series. Mostly canon-compliant.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So, yeah- This is one of the first fanfics I ever wrote, and the very first one I ever finished! It's the first part to a larger, spanning series I made about Lloyd Garmadon's background- Like a pilot episode of sorts. As one of my earlier stories, it's a bit unrefined, but for now I'll post it. Feedback is much appreciated, and I hope that those reading this fic enjoy!

 

 The woman ran through the merciless rain, mud splashing at her feet, but that was hardly a problem to her. Several feet behind her was the true problem. The pelting rain, much to her chagrin, could not drown out the sounds of baying, frustrated howls, or the promises of torment that tore through the air.

 The woman knew why they were chasing her. It was because of what she carried.

  _Such a small thing,_ she thought, salty tears slithering down her face. _And yet he must stop..._ him _. Fate is cruel. It has forced such a monstrous destiny into his hands,_ _and all I can do is abandon him._

 She looked down at the bundle of silk fabric. She felt a soft rustling. The word 'abandon' seemed too unlike her. She wished she could use a different word, but she was afraid it was much too true.

 But there was still hope. She would hide him in a place that seemed contrary to his destiny. A place that seemed minor to.... him.

 She bit back rage at the very demonic, selfish creature who caused all of this. She remembered the earth screaming.... the volcanoes roaring.... and the terrifying blizzards and hurricanes at ruthless war.

 Suddenly, she heard a shrill howl. Instinct possessed her, and she whipped around, unsheathing her katana. She stabbed at the terrifying beast.

 The beast let out a roar of hatred as it dissolved into shadow; and a gruesome skeleton emerged, clawing the ground with anticipation.

 She ran on, half-sprinting and half-slipping. She jumped behind a muddy boulder and crouched, shivering as she held one of her few joys in life close to her.

 A raspy voice let out a yell of rage. It was so.... _inhuman_. It seemed to claw at her soul. It was like the sound of talons scraping bone.

 The warriors released several dark beasts, and they began sniffing the air with disdain.

 The woman sprinted on. She  _had_ to get there. She _had_ to save him.

 She looked down at the bundle with mutilating pain. She _had_ to leave him, too.

  "Running is only delaying, mistress."

 She turned around and saw a hollow, snow-white warrior roaring as he brought down his sword. The woman unsheathed her blade, and with one swift strike, removed the warrior's hand.

 He was not injured. It was impossible for him to be. He raged and fumed and slammed into her. The woman slipped and fell, sliding down the hill. She clutched the bundle stubbornly as the hollow warrior ran on.

 The flames in his eyes danced with a hatred, but it was not at her. In fact, it was not even at what she was holding.

 The woman took a desperate gamble and threw the katana. Its blade dug deep into his hollow chest, pinning him to the earth. He struggled to remove it.

 The woman ran down, and saw a lumpy, black shape in the distance. She ran towards it, and to her relief, it was a cave.

 She dove inside, not even daring to breathe.

 Silence.

 She could still hear the warriors and their hunting beasts outside, which was good. She at least knew where they were.

 Relief flooded her limbs, now that she could relax. But not for long.

 She, slowly, unwrapped the bundle. She had to look at him, her sweet, sweet son, at  _least_ one more time.

 He was a beautiful child. He had feathery blonde hair that went all over his face. He had a small, cute little nose, which she liked to touch, before that day....

 He yawned softly, and opened his eyes. They were a scarlet red. One would think they were menacing, but to her, they were as red as a rose, as crimson as an apple.

 He was still so young, innocent, but he managed to utter, "Mamma?"

 The woman nodded. "Goodbye," she said. She closed his eyelids, and despite the warriors outside, sang him a lullaby;

 

_The fair earth is rich,_

_The waves soothing and cool,_

_Each has his own niche,_

_And a cruel destiny,_

 

_Destiny can be cruel,_

_As ruthless as a storm,_

_Life can make you feel like a fool,_

_And finally fade from your bones,_

 

_But do not despair,_

_We all go through the same things,_

_We are all a pair,_

_We understand the pain,_

 

_And one day,_

_Everything will be...._

_All right._

 

 Her heart was struck with agony as she ached with grief. She didn't want to let him go. She was being stubborn, and she dreaded the consequences.

 She stopped herself as she hugged her son, who was now asleep. She wished she could have shared her very final moment with him a little longer, but she could not be selfish.

 She wished she could blame all her troubles on the immortal titan that had scarred..... him, but she had to focus on the future.

 Resting her hood over her face, she stood up, stared into the ruthless storm, and without thinking, plunged into the fallling ocean.

 

 On instinct, a beast leapt at her. She merely jumped over it, and it splashed into the mud. Its senses dulled by the wet earth, the woman wasted no time in saving her son. She ran on relentlessly, stubbornly, ignoring the aching in her heart or the pain of her exhausted lungs.

 Suddenly, a hollow warrior amassed from the mud and swung his blazing torch, burning with a violet fire. She slashed his weapon in half with her last katana and jumped onto his head. Using it as leverage, she propelled herself into the air and landed several feet ahead.

 Then she saw her destination.

 It was an enormous hill, the last and only sanctuary for her only child. She ignored her grieving at the fact that she was closer to abandoning him.

 She bolted towards the hill. More than once she fell in the treacherous, wet earth, but she held firm and went on, clutching her only joy.

 She felt her child move softly in the silk, and felt him begin to cry. "Hush," she said softly. "Mommy only has to drop you here, and then I'll come back,"

 Her child was soothed by her voice. He trusted her. She wouldn't leave him....

 The woman felt a pang of guilt as she thought about that. But to her luck, she could dwell on it no longer. A legion of snarling beasts and hollow warriors had emerged behind her. More came from the earth and surrounded the woman.

 She was trapped.

 And her _only_ child, her _precious_ son was doomed.

 The hollow warriors were demons unleashed. They were clothed in snow-white skin, with chests as hollow as the devil's heart.

 Their eyes blazed with tortured flames, and they wore stretched, permanent grins.

 One stepped up. With a hollow voice, a twin to the sound of wind breathing through hollow bone, whispered with malice;

   "You lose."

 The woman clutched her son tighter, stubbornly.

 Yet she didn't hesitate. She went down to her knees and prayed for her son. The hollow warriors gave her what seemed to be pity, as if they truly regretted their duty.

 It was as if a god had answered her prayers.

 Like manna from heaven, a crimson bolt of lightning streaked through the ruthless storm. The hollow warriors could only scream as the bolt struck.

 The woman wasted no time.

 She bolted towards the hill...

 Placed one foot on it;

 And knew her son was safe.

  _Finally_ safe.

 She fell onto the muddy ground, exhausted.

 And began to laugh.

 Her son was _safe!_

 Her son was-

  "You."

 She stood up, clutching her son. She was not done yet.

 It was a shimmering image of a man. It was a deep blue, like a hologram, and ghastly.

 He was thin, but he radiated invincibility and power. He wore armor over his body, and clawed leather gloves were draped over his hands. He wore a flowing black cape, twin to a sea tainted with black oil. His head was covered by a trapezoid-shaped helmet, and several eyeholes sealed with glass made him seem all the more lethal and grotesque.

 The woman nodded grimly. The ghost that was before her was the one who would determine her son's final protection from harm.

  "Darkley."

 He hissed as he quivered with rage and insult. "Misako," he replied, his voice filled with contempt.

   "I know you dislike him-"

  "OF COURSE I HATE HIM!!!!"

 Darkley gave her a stare filled with psychotice rage as he threw up his hands with malice.

  "MY FORTRESS WAS BUILT TO HOUSE _MY_ LEGACY, YET YOU INSULT ME BY ASKING ME TO HOUSE-"

 He pointed a spindly finger at her son.

  " _-HIM!!!!_ "

 Darkley fumed with beastly rage and comtempt. He eyed Misako's son with merciless malice.

  "THE VERMIN! OF LIGHT!"

 Misako gritted her teeth stubbornly. She would _make_ him protect her son, no matter what!

 Darkley glanced at the area outside of the hill with distaste. "We should head to my fortress," he whispered. "Even the strongest of my sorcery will not hold off the skulkin for long."

 Misako nodded, not foolish enough to DARE look behind her! She silently followed Darkley as he drifted up the muddy hill with impatience.

 As they neared the top, Misako peered at a wooden sign built over their heads. The black night and ruthless rain hid the letters, but she knew what they spelled, and she clutched her son tighter. She felt herself crying. She, though she hated it, secretly wished rather darkly that Darkley would not protect her son, and she could stay with him.

 Finally, they arrived at the summit of the hill. Standing over them was a massive tower, a fusion of wood and tan bricks. It had an ancient, chinese style to it.

 She and Darkley hid from prying eyes as they crept into the ebony shadow it cast over them.

  "Now then," Darkley hissed. " _Why_ should I let him in? He is a protector of _light!_ He shall defeat the Dark Lord, whoever  _that_ may be!"

 He whipped around angrily, rain flowing through his intangible body. "What you ask of I, Darkley, all-powerful and once-invincible Sorcerer of the _blackest_ evil, is to train the most  _powerful_ warrior of light, who can vanquish _ME_ , if I-"

  "You can train him as a rival."

  "WHAT?!"

 Darkley stared at Misako, shocked. "The prophecy said my son shall defeat the Dark Lord. It never said _why._ "

 Darkley was catching on. Misako nodded, satisfied. "With your training, he shall become an invincible, _ruthless_ titan of power, and defeat all his rivals. And he shall be loyal to  _you_."

 Darkley contemplated this for a second.

 Finally, he looked back at the tower and snapped his fingers.

  "FRARED! DRAIK! METALLICUS!"

 Misako felt her soul and consciousness plunge into deep, dark depths the skulkin would never consider going.

  "Did you say...." she whispered, pale as a blizzard. "Metallicus?"

 She held her son to herself, knowing there was no way she could trust Darkley with him.

 Darkley nodded with vicious anticipation, even as three men exited the tower.

 The first was a demonic, bat-like creature that stood like man but was far from it. His fangs trickled with poison, with skin like burnt leather.

 The second man was not as grotesque, but still disgusting. His body was that of a humanoid reptile, with dark green scales and a writhing tail. He had long, sharpened, talons, and his head was round, fat, and rotund, a mottled orange, with a massive underbite and glowing yellow eyes.

 The third and final one struck endless terror throughout Misako. He was covered entirely in metal armor, not a single part of him exposed. His eyeholes were sealed with scarlet crystal, and a long black cape flowed behind his back.

 The armored being, if he could have, smiled with malice. "Indeed, it is  _I_ , Metallicus, the man who has come back from the grave."

 The reptilian being grumbled mutinously. "I'm cold. I'm wet. I'm muddy. I _hate_ that. When I go back into the tower, I'll be splattering stuff all over my room, and then I'll have to-"

  "Be _quite_ , Frared!" the bat-like being, assumedly Draik, hissed. "Master Darkley is making a  _very_ beneficial deal here. Of course, beneficial to _him_ only. We are but his mere servants."

 Metallicus' eyes seemed to flash with annoyance. "Yes," he muttered. " _Master_ Darkley."

  "You have no need to worry," Darkley pointed out. "Metallicus needs me to achieve his ultimate life-long desire. If he harmed your son, he shall never learn to feel."

 Misako let down her head. She  _had_ to take the risk. There was  _no_ other option.

 Even as she surrended herself to the skulkin, her mission done, she heard Metallicus cackle unearthly, and questioned her own judgement.


	2. I get kidnapped for my birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First chapter in Lloyd's POV, and it gets very... NOT fun, for him at least.

 A long time ago, in a g-

 Ah, who am I kidding?

 Hi. I know, you might be confused as to who I am. That was the part I was getting to.

 The name's Lloyd. Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon.

 To tell you my story, I'm an orphan, I guess. One day, I was dropped off at this orphanage. Ms. Chafer, one of the people who helps manage it, told me that despite the Police's efforts, they couldn't find anyone who's last name was Garmadon. Weird.

 Anyways, you see, Ms. Chafer told me that one stormy night (common stereotype, if you ask me), the doorbell rung. So, she opened it up, and as you can guess, I was wrapped up in a blanket in a basket with a letter inside.

 Inside the letter was my birthday, October 29th, and my name.

 Right, so then Ms. Chafer took me in, and they took care of me ever since.

 I made a few friends. And I found a few bullies. But, nonetheless, my life was okay.

 Right.

 However, one night, my whole life changed, JUST before my birthday.

 AAAARRRRRGGGHHHH!!!!!!

 Whatever. Wanna' hear the story?

 Well, let me start;

 

 I woke up.

 It was pretty dark, and when I looked around, I realized it was nighttime. Probably midnight, in fact.

 Tomorrow was my birthday, and I was turning seven. It's on October 29th, so there were cheap, plastic halloween decorations infesting the place.

 Everyone else in the room was asleep. I sat up, yawned, and stretched.

 I wondered if I should sneak out of bed and go downstairs and have a sneak peek at what presents were in store for me. At the orphanage, just before someone's birthday, we hide the presents downstairs in the dining room. Kind of like Christmas.

 However, I thought against it. But I was already wide awake.

 So, I climbed out of bed and walked over to the window, scratching myself.

 The moonlight made me calm. I looked up into the sky and sighed. No stars tonight.

 I was a bit sad. I thought of how my parents supposedly abandoned me.

 And as I thought, somone stepped out from the curtains and grabbed me.

 

 My first thought;

 AAAGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!

 But I wasn't even given the luxury of screaming. The guy clamped one dry, rock-hard hand over my mouth, and then held me with his other one.

 I looked up, and then I got a nasty shock;

 He was a skeleton.

 Yep. One tall, bone-white skeleton, with a rice hat, a gray, ragged loincloth, two torn leather boots, horned armor, and eyes made of sizzling orbs of red energy.

 And then, like from a horror movie, he opened his eyes and out slithered two long, black snakes from his cracked jaw. I took a jolt when I realized they were made of stone.

 He let go of me, even as the stone snakes wrapped completely around my entire body, mouth too, and tightened. I fell down, but he caught me. Without even the slightest bit of noise, he took out a thin, silver knife, and cut a pretty big hole in the window; just big enough for the both of us.

 He caught the piece of glass as it fell, and gently put it next to my bed. He then grabbed me and swiftly climbed down the two stories before dropping without a thud onto the sidewalk. He set me down behind a car, climbed back up, and began fitting the circle of glass back into place.

 Then, I got another shock; he popped out his eye. It sizzled as he traced the line in the window with it. The eye began fusing the glass, and when he was done, the window looked exactly the same. Gruesome (I decided it was the best nickname) then began to silently climb down.

 Then I once more got another shock; I was picked up.

 And I didn't see a soul in sight besides Gruesome, who was still climbing down.

 I felt someone's hands clench my flesh as they gently put me inside the car I was next to through an open window. Even as I plopped right into some luxurious leather, I saw Gruesome's skull flip around and hiss.

 Then, I saw the invisible person open up the car door and land in the driver's seat, and slamming the gas pedal as Gruesome dropped down from above. 

 Gruesome's feet made pretty serious dents in the car's roof. The invisible person tried to throw him off, but he just held on and took out a long, thin sword; What do you call it? A katana? Yeah.

 I let out a muffled scream as he stabbed it through the roof. In a futile attempt to escape, I rolled off of my seat and landed face-first on the floor.

 My nose stung badly and I tried to think, but way too much was going on. The car bucked and swerved while Gruesome pushed his katana deeper through the roof. I couldn't see much, but if I ached my head just right towards the window, I could see that we were in some sort of country-side by now.

 I then saw (or is that the right word?) the invisible person drive towards a bridge looming over all of us. I knew that since Gruesome was on top, he'd crash into the bridge as the car drove through.

 Instead, however, he jumped over it and landed on the car again.

 Then, I heard a loud, ear-tormenting pop and heard a giant hiss. The car veered to a halt, and I slammed into the bottom of the driver's seat.

 I couldn't even think as I reveled in my pain when Gruesome jumped down next to the car, which was no longer moving. He tore off the doors and grabbed me by the collar.

 I then realized that it was probably past midnight, which meant it was my birthday.

 CURSES!

 Then, Gruesome began to drag me across a grassy field. I could barely process out my surroundings with all the grass and muddy dirt and other icky stuff scratching my neck and legs.

 Suddenly, Gruesome whipped around and punched the air. Even as he did, his skull suddenly flew off.

 Yep. It flew off and landed in a nearby river.

 What was twice as freaky was that his body was still trading blows with the air. With Gruesome apparently in some sort of trance, I began squirming away like an inch worm.

 Suddenly, Gruesome's leg accidently hit me. My nose stung as tears came out, and then I realized I was rolling towards the river.

 I then landed with a splash.

 

 I closed my eyes and began to panic as my lungs felt like they were being poisoned! I couldn't swim up to the surface, and I wasn't able to catch my breath!

 As I landed on what must be the bottom, squirming around on some spiky weeds, I saw something disturbing;

 Gruesome's skull was swimming towards me.

 I remembered how his skull fell in the river, and now it was making a comeback. Gruesome's skull opened its mouth, and a wave of stone snakes lashed out towards me.

 Also, there was one more problem;

 I couldn't scream.


	3. Johnny Depp becomes my new principal

 I woke up.

 I looked around. I was in a cave, which to me, made no sense. I should've been minced meat down at the bottom of the river. Instead, I was alive.

 I looked down on myself. Instead of wearing my pajamas, I now wore a formal combination of black pants, ebony sneakers, a black sweater with a purple insignia of a flaming skull, with a white shirt underneath, all of it topped off with a purple tie.

 I realized I smelled good, which was weird. I fell into a river last night.

 I looked around the cave. Daylight was streaming in, and I saw the exit. It was sunny, and I instantly knew it was morning.

 There was a table and a chair with breakfast on it. It consisted of plates of sizzling, juicy bacon, Orange Juice, Sausages, Sausage links dipped in barbecue, scrambled eggs, and fried potatoes.

 My stomach growled. So, I did the natural thing; I got off my bed, and ate.

 After washing it all down with some juice, I put my hands in my pockets, confused. I then felt something inside and took it out.

 It was a formal business card, written in purple, that said, "Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys" in cursive. I looked at it more. Did it have the key to this whole mess?

 I looked around, and saw that outside the cave was a massive field of dark, lush green that spread all around. Hills spotted it like goosebumps.

 Then, I noticed the biggest hill. Sitting on top of it was a building.

 It looked exactly like one of those ordinary, ancient chinese towers you see in books. It was pretty tall; maybe even twenty stories high!

 I looked back at the card, and tossed it aside. Now that I had found some civilization, all I had to do was go inside.

 

 It was a long, boring trek. After a while, I made it to the hill.

 I wondered how many hours ago that I was just sleeping in the orphanage? And now, here I was, probably several miles away from Ms. Chafer and all my friends. How could it happen so quickly?

 Then, I stopped. In front of the building was a giant wooden sign. On it were red, messy letters, which made me think of disturbing theories.

 However, my stomach overturned and I went pale when I read the sign;

_Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys_

 CURSES!

 School!

 I managed to calm myself down. It wasn't like I had to attend classes there. Shaking aside a few disturbing memories that explained how I got expelled several times from different schools, I walked up the stone steps and knocked on a pair of wooden double-doors.

 Suddenly, the door opened up. 

 What was weird; There was a robot.

 Yep. A robot. I mean, I knew Ninjago was getting pretty advanced, with the aPad 4 and such, but this was awesome!

 It was a black, with glowing green streaks all around its body. It resembled a spider, with two long, nimbly arms on its back, with flexible rubber tubes imitating fingers at the end.

  "You have been expected." It said in a flat, monotone voice, and it skittered away down a long, wooden hall.

 I remembered the business card, and I thought about how in some movies, either the good guy was gonna meet some allies and get a job saving the world, or be introduced to a guy who wants to destroy them.

 I contemplated on what to do, and I let destiny do all the work.

 I followed the mecha-spider.

 

 Several wooden doors covered the walls, with labels such as 'Teacher's Lounge' or 'Storage Closet'.

 Even as I wondered what would happen, the robo-spider led me to an elevator. It pressed a button, and we walked inside.

 The elevator was pretty nice. It had yellow wall-paper, but it had this weird song that basically consisted entirely of some loser singing, 'La-la-la-la-laaaa'.

 However, it did have one weird thing; Graffiti.

 There were all sorts of words and names scribbled onto the wall-paper with all sorts of colors. Most of the graffiti consisted of quotes that made no sense like, 'Disarm the Metal Gear!' or 'The Harlem Shake defies gravity'.

 The robo-spider pressed a button that was labeled, '2' with one of its arms and the elevator went up, with the weirdo singing 'La-la-la-la-laaaa'.

 There was a ding after a few seconds, and the elevator doors opened up. The robo-spider then went down another hallway, and I followed.

 Finally, we arrived at a door at the end of the hallway. The robo-spider opened it up for me, and I stepped inside.

 Inside was a massive room. It was made of dark wood, and circular. In the middle was a giant platform, and in front of it were about a few hundred seats you would find at the movie theater.

 I scratched my head. I turned around, but the robo-spider had left.

  "Hey, wa-"

  "RRRRRRRRIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGG!!!!!!"

 I was so startled by the ringing that I backed up into a chair and fell over, landing on it in a humiliating position. I quickly got out and righted myself and before my startled eyes, saw the door open.

 A flood of kids surged inside. Several of them had weird haircuts. One kid's hair was all shaggy and out-grown on one side, and entirely bald and shiny on the other. Another kid had a maroon afro.

 They all gathered into the seats, talking, and paying no attention to me. I realized, with a jolt, that they all wore the same clothes as me.

  _Weird...._ I thought. I remembered how this was a boarding school, and that business card I got.

 Suddenly, everyone stopped all their hubbub. I decided to remain silent, too, when a giant bat-creature flew in.

 I know, hard to believe.

 But trust me, he was like a giant, humanoid bat. His skin reminded me of a burnt-up leather jacket, and he had glowing, beady red eyes. He had giant fangs, like steak knives, and talons that looked more like the horns of a bull on his hands and feet. He had giant, ragged wings that hung over his ugly face, and was about seven feet tall.

 He snarled, and before my very own shocked eyes, he transformed into a human. Like, it looked as if he were made of clay before an invisible being smashed and stretched his parts, while his color slowly morphed to match his new form. He now resembled a middle-aged man wearing a black business suit, with brown hair that went down to his neck, and a thin moustache. He took out a pair of horn-rimmed glasses that were tinted pink from his pocket and put them on.

 He looked at the assembled crowd, and grinned. But it wasn't a happy one. It was filled more with viciousness and anticipation.

 He spread out his arms wide, and took out a microphone from his pocket. "Hello, students!" he announced. Everyone (apparently the students) yelled back, "Good morning Mr. Draik!"

 Mr. Draik seemed pleased. "Now then, I know we normally get onto the pledge to Darkley before we start, but you see, I have news that can not wait!"

 The students bristled with surprise and anticipation. Mr. Draik smiled once more.

  "This important news," he said grandly, spreading his arms wide. "IS......"

 Everyone leaned forward.

  "A NEW STUDENT!!!!"

 Everyone booed and groaned. This wasn't what they expected. Mr. Draik, however, grinned. "You will not groan when you find out who this student's ancestry is," he promised.

 Then, I had a terrifying moment of clarity as I pieced together a few weird events;

 

  1. There was going to be a new student



 

  1. I was taken near here



 

  1. I wore the school uniform



 

  1. I was given a business card for this school



 

  1. I was expected



 

 I instantly planned to escape, but it was too late.

  "And, so, this new student I gladly present IS..."

 A spotlight suddenly glared in my eyes, pointed at me. I squinted and tried to cover my eyes, even as Mr. Draik pointed in my direction and yelled,

  "LLOYD!!!!!!!!!!"

 All the students looked at me. I smiled nervously, and waved a bit. "Uh... hi, guys," I said stupidly. "How's it going?"

 All of them gave me vicious looks of anticipation, the kind you see a bully give the new kid every morning.

  "Well, then, Mr. Lloyd," Mr. Draik said, beckoning next to me. "Why don't you introduce yourself? Tell us a few things about your life?"

 I decided to obey him. After all, I found it stupid to make a giant bat-monster that can shape-shift angry. I quickly stood up and made my away across, going between seats and bumping into people and nearly tripping on sneakers.

 I finally stepped onto the platform, but my foot hit the edge and I tripped. Luckily, Mr. Draik caught me by the arm, but by the looks of jeering by the students I could already tell I blew it.

 After righting myself and stepping right next to Mr. Draik, he held the microphone to my mouth. "So, Mr. Lloyd," he said. "Which schools -if any-" Everyone laughed "-Did you go to?"

 I shuffled around a bit. "Uh, well, I first went to McOppers, then Lavey, not to mention Jupiter, and I was also kicked out of Camelo-"

 Everyone laughed at me. Mr. Draik, however, shot them looks of venom, which I was grateful for.

  "So," he asked me. "Where did you use to live?"

  "Uh, at an orphanage... for, um, really rich, and, uh... talented kids!" I lied, not wanting to mess up again.

 However, it was clear that the students didn't believe me. Nonetheless, Mr. Draik kept his smile. "So," he said. "Anything to say about this school? About anyone?"

  "Uh.... well, I guess you look a lot like Johnny Depp, Mr. Draik," I muttered. The students laughed, and luckily, since Johnny Depp was considered 'insanely hot' by the others back in the orphanage, I assumed Mr. Draik was okay with that.

  "So, when is-"

  "Excuse me, Mr. Draik," I interrupted. Mr. Draik stopped.

  "Listen," I said to the crowd. "It seems you have the wrong student." I heard someone in the crowd mutter, "Thank goodness," and everyone laughed, but I went on.

  "All _I_ know is that one day, I was at the orphanage, and then I was kidnapped by a skeleton, before being kidnapped again by an invisible dude. Then, I fell into a river, and woke up in this cave with these weird clothes, and so I went here for help and am now stuck in this mess."

 Silence.

 Then, everyone laughed at me.

 Embarrassed, I was about to ask Mr. Draik if I could go back to my seat when he grabbed my shoulder and leaned in close to my ear.

  "Listen, Garmadon," he whispered. "You were meant to be here. It was a part of the deal. As for what the deal is, and your parents, most of that will be answered in about.... a few minutes."

 I went stiff, oblivious to all the jeering. "In a few minutes?!" I asked, and I realized my mouth was too close to the microphone, causing my question to echo across the auditorium (I figured it was called that). All the kids guffawed even harder.

 Mr. Draik smiled, but it was a vicious one, filled with a thirst for power. "Yes," he hissed, his voice suddenly bestial and inhuman. "All our secrets will soon be spilled."

 He suddenly straightened up. "Well then, students," he said, his voice normal. "Mr. Lloyd shall be assigned to Mr. Frared's homeroom!"

 Several kids in the audience cheered, ready to blast me with texas wedgies and wet willies.

 Mr. Draik brought the microphone to his mouth. "SILENCE!!!!!"

 Everyone shut up.

  "Now then, it is time to recite the pledge to our founder, Darkley," he announced. He turned to me, and handed me a piece of paper with what was _obviously_ the pledge to me. "Here you go," he said.

 Everyone stood up and put a hand over their heart. I did the same, and we recited the pledge. I'm pretty sure it went like this;

 

_I pledge my allegiance and loyalty,_

_To his all-powerful sorcerer Darkley,_

_And vow to keep his legacy immortal,_

_Pass his reign to our descendants,_

_And, finally, force his great nemesis,_

_His slayer,_

_To continue his duty forever_

 

 I thought it was creepy, but mostly cool. Of course, I didn't really mean all those words I had recited. I wondered who this Darkley loser was, anyway.

 Then, Mr. Draik handed me a bunch of school supplies, from notebooks to pencils, not to mention an awesome Star Fare backpack. I dumped my stuff inside lazily, and he summoned this kid over.

 He had oil-black, shaggy hair that went all over the place. His eyes searched me, as if looking for weak points, and his pockets were stuffed with antique whoopie cushions and cans of spray-cheese.

  "Hi, Lloyd," he said, putting his hand out. "Lloyd, I'd like you to meet Brad Tudabone," Mr. Draik said proudly.

 I searched Brad's hands for any hand buzzers, and when there weren't any, I shook his hand. "To-the-bone?" I asked. Brad grinned nastily. "I guess you can call me that."

  "Mr. Tudabone, I am bestowing upon you the honor of escorting and acting as guide to Lloyd here," Mr. Draik announced. Then, he added, "If you do a good job, I'll raise a few grades on your report card by ten points."

  "Each?" Brad asked hopefully.

 Mr. Draik shook his head. "No."

  "Can I teach Lloyd any pranks?"

  "No."

  "You're no fun."

  "Not yet, anyways."

 I could've sworn I saw his hand reach for a rubber spider.


	4. My Pencil becomes a Worm

 Brad smiled once more. "C'mon Lloyd." he said. "Let's go-"

  "RRRRRIIIIIINNNNGGGG!!!!!"

 I was so startled I fell down and landed face-first off of the platform and onto an empty front-row seat.

  "AHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH!!!!!!"

 Brad grinned nastily as he helped me get up. Mr. Draik shrugged and turned back into his hideous bat form before fluttering away to the top of the auditorium.

 Several students fled away from their seats and outside. A couple -maybe twenty- stayed behind.

 I figured they were my classmates. Brad led me to them, and they all grinned nastily at me.

  "Lloyd, I'd like you to meet a few of us," he said. A kid with acid-green hair that was spiked like a mace and brown eyes stepped up. "Meet Terrence Filachi," Brad said.

 Stupidly, I shook Terrence's hand. I felt the sudden vibrating of a hand buzzer.

 As I stepped back, Terrence laughed. "Even a worm would've seen that, Rookie!"

 Another kid stepped up. He had huge nostrils, a dumb expression, with brown hair cut into a mohawk. He also had a golden nose piercing, which I thought was seriously cool.

  "Meet Francis 'Gold digger' Lustein," Brad said. "Uh... hi, Francis." I said. I looked at Brad. "Why do they call him 'Gold digger'?"

  "Hi, Lloyd!" Francis yelled, shoving one ugly, fat finger into his right nostril.

  "UGH!" I recoiled in disgust, backing away.

 Another kid went up. He was about half a foot taller than me, with red hair that was gelled into the shape of flames. He had ear piercings that were shaped like spiders, and he eyed me with sheer savagery.

  "Meet Finn Ayabbers," Brad said, although this time he introduced him with less pride and more fear. "He's top bully!"

 Finn eyed me and grabbed a pencil Mr. Draik had given me. "Nice pencil, Dweeb." he said. And then, before my shocked eyes, the pencil began to squirm around and began to soften and become a bit more rotund at the edges, until it became one muddy, writhing worm.

  "GROSS!" I yelled, stepping back.

 Finn laughed. "You should've seen the look on your face!" he yelled.

 I stared at the pencil worm, which he had just dropped. It squirmed underneath a seat. "How did you do that?" I asked.

 Finn grinned nastily. "Well, let's just say that when your dad happens to be an insect monster with venom that can mutate organic matter -dead or not- into bugs, you inherit a few things."

 I stared back at the pencil worm. "Cool." I said. I looked back at Finn. "Can I keep it?"

 Finn laughed again. "SURE, Dweeb!" he yelled. "No loser -except you- would want a worm for a pet!"

 Several of my classmates laughed. Suddenly, we all heard somone in the hallway yell, "HURRY UP!"

 They all instantly began to surge out into the hallway. I was a bit stung at Finn's earlier remark, but I told myself he was just used to his super powers, that's all. I bent down, picked up the muddy worm, and took out a pencil case. I dumped it inside, and poked a few air holes with my scissors.

 I then ran after them. I followed Brad, who had stayed behind. He told me they were going to their lockers, so I followed.

 We went up a few stairs before arriving at another more smaller hallway. It was lined with an assortment of metal doors, all covered with senseless graffiti.

 Brad and the other classmates opened up their lockers and took out their backpacks, lazily dumping in homework assignments that were due today and pencils.

 They then all instantly surged up another flight of stairs, leaving me behind. By the time I caught up, they were filing into one of many classrooms that dotted yet another hallway.

 I followed inside, also reading the words on a metal plaque with the school symbol above the door; "Mr. Frared's Homeroom."

 Inside the room were several rows of desks. In one corner was a shelf filled with math textbooks, and in another was a plastic skeleton.

 At one end of the classroom, right next to the door, was the teacher's desk.

 Next to it was the weirdest teacher I had ever seen;

 For starters... he wasn't human.

 His body was like that of a lizard. It (or he?) had a scaly body coated with dark green scales all over, with a long whip-like tail to match. He was skinny, and decidedly weak, although his forearms and forelegs were muscular, which was weird.

 But his head was even weirder. It was oval shaped, and had warty, bumpy orange skin. His eyes were hollow in the shape of triangles, and his mouth was jagged with teeth. On top of his head was this stump-like mass of brown, rotting stuff. To be exact, his head looked EXACTLY like a Jack-O-Lantern; the only difference was that his mouth was closed and he a huge underbite, not to mention his head looked flattened. Besides that, everything matched, from the color to shape.

 He also wore a red tie.

 He groaned as he saw me enter in. Everyone else was in their seats. It was clear they detested the front row, as all students should, because there was only one seat left, and it was in the front row, right next to the door.

  "Uh.... are you Mr. Frared?" I asked stupidly, thinking, _Of course he's Frared!_

 Frared grimaced. "No, I'm Julius Ceasar." he snapped. "Get into your seat. NOW!"

 I got into my seat.

 Frared glared at me, and sighed. He sat into the black, leather turning chair behind his desk and put his hands onto his forehead. "Aye, aye, aye. Students," he muttered. He picked up a clipboard, one of many objects on his desk.

  "Let's see, then," he muttered. "Since you're the new kid, your name must be...."

 His eyes scrolled down the entire list and stopped.

  "Aha!" he yelled triumphantly. "Let's see.... your name is..... Lloyd Montgomery-"

 He stopped.

 Frared had suddenly went still. His eyes were filled with shock and disbelief. He stared at my name, which was pretty weird.

  "Lloyd Montgomery...." he whispered to himself, pale. He then took out a history book and flipped through the pages.

  "Let's see.... aha!"

 He put on some huge, wire-rimmed reading glasses. 

 Frared began flipping through the old, yellow pages. My classmates watched him in disbelief, wondering why he was acting so weirdly about my name.

 Finally, Frared yelled, "AHA!" and stopped turning pages. His eyes scrolled down the page and stopped. He went pale again, and he whispered to himself, "It's spelled right."

 Frared suddenly brightened up, and took out those phones teachers use to communicate with each other quickly, so they can round up rabid kids who escaped detention (trust me, it's happened a few times in my old schools).

 He pressed a button and held it to his ear. "Metallicus, can you gurantee me that your book is 100% accurate, especially with _names?"_  

 Frared waited for a bit, and suddenly went pale. He put down the phone and looked at the clipboard one more time.

 Finally, he whispered, so quietly you had to lean in to hear;

  "Lloyd Montgomery........ Garmadon."

 The entire class (besides me) went still and pale. All heads turned my direction. 

  "Uh.... why's everyone staring at _me_ for?" I asked. "I mean, my last name's just Garmadon. So what?"  

 Frared suddenly grinned. "Because your father...." he said with rising excitement. "Was the son of the First Spinjitzu Master."

 Instantly, all the students jumped out of their seats, asking me if I could control fire or do Spinjitzu and a bunch of nonsense.

  "WHOA, whoa!" I yelled, trying to push everyone away for some space. Everyone obeyed and backed off. "That sounds nice and all, but who the heck is the First Twirlitsu Master?"

 Frared chuckled and patted my head, which was weird. "Spinjitzu, actually. Anyways, I'll leave all the explaining to Metallicus. He _is_ the history teacher. What _is_ to know, however, is that in our halls, you're pretty much a celebrity."

 I gaped. 

  "Holy la cucaracha," I muttered. Then I grinned. Sweet! Finally, for the first time ever, I was popular, and all it took was for someone to say my last name aloud.

  "Oh, yeah, speaking of which," I said, remembering one crucial fact. "Today's my birthday."

 Frared clapped his hands together. "WELL, then!" he yelled. "How about we celebrate? Ratios and integers can wait for this!"

 He began to hop around in excitment. Finally, he stopped. "Okay, class, for today, you can do whatever you want!"

 Everyone cheered.

  "Of course, no maiming, destroying, graffiti, etc.,"

 Everyone groaned.

 He instantly went back into his chair and took out a silver laptop. "I gotta post this on instagram!"

 Everyone began crowding around me. "Wow, Lloyd!" Brad said. "I heard how you got chased by a skeleton! Can you tell us about it?"

 I grinned. "Well, then," I said. "Give me some space, and I'll tell you full detail!"

 Everyone moved the desks around and surrounded me. I leaned my chair against the wall and put my feet on my desk.

  "Well, there it started, right on midnight," I began.

  "So, there I was, in the orphanage. I had heard something, so I got out and was ready to pull out some kung-fu! However, my attacker, the skeleton, ambushed me! He took out a sword and lashed out, but I knocked it away and gave him an uppercut!"

  "Unfortunately, an invisible being ambushed me from behind. I was tied up, and the skeleton tried to steal me from his rival! I kicked the skeleton's head off, and I knocked away the invisible person with a hit from the head!"

  "However, the skeleton captured me and drove off in a stolen car. However, the invisible person caught up! As the two fought, I rolled out of the car, but I was knocked into the river! I eventually woke up in a cave with these clothes, and sought out refuge here!"

 The story was WAY too twisted up, but whatever.

  "Hold on," Terrence interrupted. "Invisible person? Don't you mean Ms. Trexdis?" 

  "Who?" I asked.

  "Ms. Trexdis is our reading teacher," Brad explained. "She's permanently invisible after this accident, so Draik had to make non-invisible clothes for her so he could see her more easily, and then there was that time when-"

  "Mr. Garmadon, would you mind if I take a picture with you for a moment?" Frared asked, taking out a camera. I shrugged. He stood right next to me, holding out the camera in front of us and pressed the button. Then he went back to his laptop.

  "That's..... interesting...." I muttered. If this Ms. Trexdis worked for Draik and was invisible, then maybe she was the one who kidnapped me!

  "Anyways, that's a pretty cool story and all," Brad said. "But I should introduce you to the rest of the class."

 And so he did. I met everyone else in the class, all of them impressed by my ancestry (even though I had no idea who the First Twirli- I mean Spinjitzu- Master was).

 One noticeable kid had orange, wavy hair that reminded me of orange juice for some reason. He had huge wire-rimmed glasses, just like Mr. Frared. He had those expressions evil villains wear when they're plotting something really evil, and they can't wait to start.

  "Meet Gene Technos," Brad introduced.

  "Technos?" I asked. "Let me guess; you're really smart."

 Gene grinned. "Of course! I _am_ the best student here! I'm skilled at physics, math, social studies, science, and robotics! I have even been applauded by Metallicus for my strategic skills!" He had a really stuffy voice and sounded like a smug nerd.

 I scratched my head. "Isn't that a coincidence?" I asked. "You're a really smart person who's good with machines and your last name is Technos."

 Gene seemed a bit miffed, but he shrugged. "Then I guess Technos is a fitting name, then."

 A few other kids I took actual notice in were Richie Rich, a spoiled kid with wavy blonde hair whose dad was a corrupt billionaire, and Diablo Sanchez (I couldn't tell if that was really his name or not), a kid with dyed-blue hair who was addicted to spicy foods.

 Afterwards, Mr. Frared closed the laptop. "Oh, _this_ photo DEFINITELY beats the one Melissa took of Johhny Depp doing the cha-cha slide as a clown with his wig on fire!"

 We all stared at him.

  "Whatever," he said. "Class is over! Pack your stuff and get ready to go to Ms. Trexdis' class!"

 I had a feeling in my stomach, and I don't mean indigestion. More like.... anticipation. This Trexdis might know the full answer as to why I was here.

  "Ah, ALSO," Mr. Frared added, even as we put on our backpacks. "For our special little Lloyd Garmadon, I have a birthday present!"

 My mind was already rolling around with curiosity when Mr. Frared reached inside his desk and took out..... an encyclopedia. One big, fat, dusty encyclopedia that was so old its cover was a dusty brown and the letters were nothing but vague markings.

 I tried to hide my disappointment as Mr. Frared handed it to me. I let out an _OOF!_ as he dumped it into my hands.

  "Now, then, Mr. Garmadon," he said proudly. "It may not look like much, but this book is way too special to be put into the hands of _any_ student. What makes it so special is what it contains!"

  "A wand? Incantation for zombies?"

  "Uh, no," Mr. Frared said, fiddling with his fingers. "Although that WOULD be cool," he admitted. "What makes it so special is that our principal Mr. Draik had cast a spell on it so that it would reveal any information our school has unearthed, thanks to the help of my very, very, _very_ old friend Metallicus."

 For some reason, the name 'Metallicus' sent a shiver through my spine. I wondered if it meant Metallicus had something to do with my past or parents, and I assumed so.

 I noticed Gene eyeing the book with what looked like jealousy, and I remembered how he had claimed to be 'Student #1'.

 I ignored him.

  "Cool," I said. I then realized, with a jolt, that this book must've contained info about my parents.

 I grinned. "Very cool."


	5. I ask my Kidnapper if I can use the Restroom

 We all then flooded out of Mr. Frared's classroom. I was burning to open up the book and look inside, so I did.

 I wrapped my fingers around the edge of the cover, and slowly opened it up. Inside was....

 Nothing.

 Just really old, blank, dusty pages.

 I remembered how Mr. Frared told me that it would show me any info Metallicus (whoever he was) found. Unfortunately, he never specified how to use it.

 I slammed my head into the wall. A few classmates stared at me.

 I was so frustrated! I was so close to knowing my parents! It was torment to know that my dad and grand-dad were famous, and yet I didn't know why! Curiosity was killing me!

 Then, I had a moment of clarity;

 Mr. Frared had told me that Metallicus, which he had mentioned _WAY_ too many times, that he'd tell me everything!

 I ran up to Brad, even as we walked up some stairs. "Hey," I said. "Which class are we going to now?"

 Brad shrugged. "Reading," he explained. "Ms. Trexdis teaches it."

 I remembered Trexdis. I realized she might hold a lot of answers, too. "So, when do I meet Metallicus?" I asked.

  "After science, which is after lunch, which is after reading."

 I cursed under my breath, which got me a confused look from Brad. "What?" I asked.

  "Nothing," he said. "Except that I find it weird how ANYONE would want to go to history class, especially with Metallicus teaching it."

 I shrugged. "He'll probably worship me the moment I step in."

 Brad thought about it. "True," he said uncertainly.

 We finally reached the top of the stairs and arrived at yet another hallway. My classmates flooded inside a room with an open door. Above the doorway was a plaque, just like Mr. Frared's, that said, 'Ms. Trexdis' Homeroom'.

 I once more had a weird feeling down in the pit of my stomach, which I figured was anticipation, not to mention a dash of hunger.

 I shoved my encyclopedia inside my backpack and walked inside along with the others.

 I wasn't surprised when I didn't see anyone at the teacher's desk. 

 ...Well, there _were_ a few things;

 First, there was an orange T-shirt, with the Darkley's symbol on it. It was floating in the air, and right below it, touching at the rim, were a pair of blue jeans.

 Over the shirt was a light-gray fabric jacket with a hood and zipper, which was open. Under the jeans, slightly hidden by the rim of the jeans, were two gray sneakers.

  "Uh.... hi, Ms. Trexdis," I said nervously. The floating clothes turned towards my direction.

  "Ah, finally!" said a female voice. One of Trexdis' sleeves went up and pointed at me. I tried to shake her hand, but instead I got confused and the two of us grappled around a bit before finding a firm hold and shaking.

  "So, were you the person who kidnapped me from the skeleton?" I blurted out.

 Trexdis crossed her arms. "Yep," she said. Everyone was watching our conversation, which was pretty unsettling. I thought of saying,  _'STOP STARING AT US!!!!'_ but I opted against it.

  "And were you the one who rescued me from the river and put me in the cave?"

  "Pretty much."

 I shrugged, satisified. "All right, then," I said. "I guess I'll go to my desk."

 Like last time, I was reserved a front row desk.

 After I sat down, Trexdis said, "Well, then, class! As you can see, Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon's here!"

 She sounded pleased, and it was clear she wasn't surprised at my identity. I realized Draik and Trexdis must've been the only ones who knew who I was before I went here.

  "Since we have a new kid, and one with a lot of potential," she went on. "I've decided to celebrate the occasion; I've brought several graphic novels, books, and comics from the library."

 All of us watched.

  "Of course, I selected the books especially, so don't expect to find any curse words, ancient recital words for raising the dead, etc.,"

 Everyone groaned.

  "Listen," she said. "Normally, I'd do a movie, but as we all know, Mr. Draik wants me to still encourage reading."

  "But Mr. Frared-"

  "He's an exception." 

  "You're just saying that because you don't want us to raise the dead!" Brad yelled.

  "Or learn bad words!" Terrence added.

 Trexdis must've rolled her eyes. "Terrence, I think it's obvious you already _know_ bad words. And, yes, Brad, Mr. Draik doesn't want you to create a zombie/skeleton/ghost army."

 Everyone groaned again.

 Trexdis took out a Hunger Games novel, sat down, and put her feet on the desk before reading. My classmates followed by finding a book among the cart (most of them chose comics), and began reading as well.

 I didn't bother. Instead, I reached into my backpack and took out my encyclopedia. I opened it up, and stared at the blank pages for at least five minutes.

  "What," I said blankly after a while, still staring at the empty pages.

 I looked around. My classmates were reading all sorts of books. Gene was reading a textbook about physics. Finn was reading about horror movie monsters. Terrence was reading some Star Fare comics. Diablo was looking at a recipe book crammed with recipes involving ramen noodles and literally anything else. Brad's eyes were glued to the pages of his Daffy Dale graphic novel. Richie Rich was reading a book called, "How to dupe people and steal their money', and Francis- well, I couldn't see what his book was about. The pages and cover was all torn up, as if a rabid dog nearly ate it.

 I thought those were all better reads, so I went over to the book cart. However, my classmates took all the good books. All that was left were some soupy romance novels and cheesy books about spies or pirates.

 I groaned. I walked over to Trexdis, who was still reading. "Ms. Trexdis," I whispered. "Could I go to the library and get a comic? Everyone else has all the good stuff."

 Trexdis looked up from her book and at me- At least, I _think_ she did. "Listen," she whispered. "I'd love to help, but I can't."

 I eyed her.

  "Okay," she said. "If you go alone, Metallicus could get you. If I went along, with your class unsupervised- You get the point."

 And she went back to reading. 

  "Wait, what?" I said, but Trexdis just ignored me.

  "Can you at least tell me about my parents?" I demanded. Trexdis simply said, "Look at your encyclopedia."

 I fumed as I went back to my desk. _Really?!_ Metallicus was the only one who could tell me everything about my parents, my salvation, and yet Brad and Trexdis and the others didn't want me to meet him (except Mr. Frared)!

 I mean, seriously. Trexdis acted like Metallicus wanted to destroy me, which sounded stupid. He's just a teacher! I may not know much about him, but even if he's a freak like Trexdis and Frared, I think it's obvious he wouldn't destroy me!

 I glared at my encyclopedia. Why did I have to have such rotten luck?! I was always questioning my life back in the orphanage, but with no one telling me anything, I felt as if I was just a toy to irritate!

 Then, I got an idea.

 I went over to Trexdis once more. "Can I use the restroom?" I asked.

 My plan, of course, was to look for this Metallicus guy once I was out of the classroom and find out about my parents. That'd show Trexdis!

 Trexdis nodded (at least I think she did), and I headed out the door.

  "Wait."

 I did a mental groan. I figured my plan was somehow going to be ruined _already._

  "Brad, lead Lloyd to the restroom."

 Brad put down his book impatiently. " _Yes,_ Ms. Trexdis," he muttered unenthusiastically.

 He walked up to me. "Follow me," he said, as if I didn't know I was supposed to do that already.

 As I followed him, I got more another idea, being a genius and all. Brad, being my tour guide, had to answer my questions, right?

  "Hey, Brad," I said all casual-like. He looked back at me. "Yeah, Lloyd?" he replied.

  "Who's Metallicus?"

 Brad hesitated for a moment. "The worst history teacher EVER." he answered. "In fact, the _worst_ teacher of any subject for THAT matter!"

  "Uh.... why is that?" I asked stupidly.

  "Let's just say that even Mr. Draik doesn't trust him." 

 I stopped. "What do you mean?" I asked. "Does Mr. Draik think he'll teach us all the wrong things, like that Paul Revere said, 'The Russians are coming' or that George Washington had plastic teeth?"

 Brad did a facepalm. "No, Stupid," he said. "It's hard to explain. Let's just say that the pledge means more than you think."

 We finally arrived at what looked like the restrooms. "I figure you can find your way back," he said, and left.

 My mind whirred with possibilities now that he was gone. I could now look for Metallicus, but....

 I remembered what Brad told me about the pledge. I tried to remember the words.

  "Ah, hello Mr. Garmadon."

 I looked around, surprised, and saw my old friend the spider robot. He had exited the boys' restroom and was holding a mop with both of his extra hands, with a janitor's cart attached to his back with chains.

  "Uh.... hi?" I said uncertainly. "You're the janitor?"

 The spider bot nodded. "My programming number is Spirius-1." he explained.

  "I guess there are other Spirius guys, then," I assumed.

  "Correct. Spirius-2 and 3 work in the cafeteria. Spirius-5 maintains the computer lab. Spirius-6 is the secretary, and Spirius-7 and 8 help the teachers with errands. And Spirius-9 is our scout, who updates Metallicus on recent events."

  "Metallicus?" I said. If Spirius-1 knew about Metallicus, then...

  "Can you tell me about him?" I asked. Spirius-1 was about to answer, but in the distance, a gruff voice yelled, "OI! JANITOR! THE GYM FLOOR'S COVERED IN SWEAT AGAIN!"

 Spirius-1 looked back at me. "I must go now, Mr. Garmadon," he said. "But I can say this; Metallicus is extremely ruthless and vicious, with no hint of human emotion, and cherishes giving out homework!"

 Spirius-1 then immediately scuttled off.

  "Gives away homework and enjoys it?" I asked myself aloud. I shuddered, horrified. "All of a sudden, I don't want to meet him!"

 As I would soon find out, to my chagrin, homework was the least of my problems.


	6. I nearly kill someone with Creamed Spinach

 I began to make my way back, when I scratched my head.

 I forgot the way back.

 I did a mental groan, and began wondering about for at least twenty or thirty minutes.

 Finally, after exploring a maze of staircases and hallways, I finally found Trexdis' classroom. I walked inside, and Trexdis looked at me.

  "That was a long bathroom break."

 Everyone heard that and laughed.

  "I had a conversation with the janitor." I replied. Trexdis eyed me. "And," I whispered. "I didn't look for Metallicus."

 Trexdis still eyed me. "My proof," I explained. "Is that if Spirius-1 is right, he gives out homework and likes it, and I find that way too cruel and savage for my taste."

 Trexdis seemed a bit confused (at least I think she was), but nodded. "Finally," she said, and she visibly relaxened. "Well, then, Lloyd," she said smugly. "What did you think of my fighting skills?"

 I realized that all this time, the reason Trexdis was being so insecure and vague was because she didn't want me to meet this Metallicus weirdo, and now that I dreaded a meeting, her true colors were showing.

  "Uh... I couldn't see you. You were invisible, clothes and all."

 Trexdis must've been a bit disgruntled, but she shrugged.

 I shrugged back in return and went back to the book cart. I was still boggled with all sorts of questions, as to who exactly was Metalllicus, and the main reason Trexdis was afraid of him, besides homework, and how he knew about my parents when even the government couldn't find that little speck of info.

 I then realized I also had one more question in mind.

  "When's lunch?"

 Everyone laughed. "What?" I asked. "Aren't any of you guys hungry?"

  "Hot cheetos and Sriracha!" Diablo Sanchez yelled out randomly, before returning to his cook book.

  "Lunch is in about.... twenty minutes," Brad answered.

 I nodded. I then looked back at the book cart, and bored, took out a cheesy-looking book for kids called, 'Spies are really cool'. 

 After several agonizing minutes of staring at boring stuff about spies everyone knew about, the bell rung.

 I sat straight up. "Lunch?" I asked hopefully. Trexdis nodded (I think).

 Everyone began flooding towards the doorway, but I was first, having a front row seat. "Stay clear of You-know-who!" Trexdis called out to me.

 I nodded, not paying much attention.

  "Wait," I said. I stopped and grabbed Brad. "Is the cafeteria food any good?"

 Brad thought about it. "It's actually not bad," he explained. "Mr. Draik figured we couldn't bring lunches from home, since this _was_ our home, for now, so he had to make the food good quality."

 I scratched my head. "Tasty cafeteria food?" I asked suspiciously. "You must be brainwashed."

  "Whatever," Brad said dismissively. "Let's go!"

 I followed my classmates as they began climbing up another flight of stairs. We then surged through another hallway, with a door at the end, similair to the auditorium.

 Finn got there first, and shoved open the doors.

 Inside was a large, massive room. It had sleek tiles, and lunch tables dotted the area like stripes on a shirt. On one side of the room was a long, metal table. It was divided into several sections. The first one had trays stacked on it, with a basket of silverware next to it. The next section had three choices of milk; Ordinary, Chocolate, and could it be? Strawberry?

 The rest of the sections, except the last one, had baskets built into them, with all sorts of food inside. At the last section was a hi-tech cash register; it look like some sort of ATM, with a tentacle-like arm with a scanner attached, and was black and had glowing green streaks, like Spirius-1.

 Also, in one corner of the room was a large, round wooden table with turning chairs, which I instantly assumed was the teachers' table.

 On another side of the room was a balcony, flanked by maroon curtains. I smelled fresh air. 

 We flooded towards the table where they served food. After a large amount of scuffling, we managed to decide who was where in the line, and began to travel along the table.

  "So, Brad," I said, grabbing a tray and silverware. "I heard that these two robots, Spirius-2 and Spirius-3 work at the cafeteria."

 Brad nodded, adding a milk carton to his tray. "They basically cook all the stuff before breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and sometimes, they'll give out snacks in the afternoon, right after 3:00 PM."

  "Really?" I asked, dumping some potato salad into a section of my tray. "I thought that since you live here, you had to do school stuff the entire day!"

 Brad had a look of terror in his face. "If that was true..." he muttered.

 Anyways, another thing I noticed about the cafeteria was that behind the metal table where we got food was a mess of all sorts of machines, ovens, cabinets, sinks, dirty dishes, etc., all covered with a fine film of grease. I then noticed what had to be Spirius-2 and 3, as since they were both robots.

 Spirius-2, like its Janitor counterpart, was black all over, and was lined with glowing green streaks. It was round and rotund, shaped like a disk, and ran on two treads. In the middle of its body was a tall metal pole. It consisted of small cylinders stacked on each other, each with a long arm that had all sorts of tools.

 Spirius-3 was a bit more similar to its partner, not to mention the black color and glowing streaks. However, it was shaped more like a football, and floated around in the air, which was pretty wicked! It had several green, glowing eyes in the front, and on top of its head was a small cylinder. Attached to the top was a variety of metal tentacles, each finished with four metal claws.

 Spirius-3 floated towards me and scooped up some leafy green gunk with a metal ladel he was carrying. "I recommend the creamed spinach, Mr. Garmadon," he suggested, with a weird intensity. 

  "Uh.... no thank-"

 Spirius-3 instantly shoved the whole mess into my mouth.

 My mind rolled around with shock from the revolting gunk. It was bad -better than my other schools' creamed spinach- but still bad.

  "SSPLLAAAAKKKK!!!!!"

 I sprayed the stuff out of my mouth in a green storm; right onto Spirius-3.

 Spirius-3 began to whir and spin around, electricity crackling from his body. "C-CREAMED S-S-PINACH!" he yelled.

  "DOES N-NOT COMP-PUTE!!!!"

 There was another crackle, and he fizzed out, his eyes going black. He then promptly fell down and landed in the chow mein with a nasty splat.

 Everyone stared at me; even Spirius-2. I looked around, embarrassed. "Uh.... heh-heh," I said sheepishly. "Don't eat the creamed spinach, kids!"

 Everyone laughed, although this time, to my shock, it was not at me, it was at my joke! They thought I was funny!

 Spirius-2, on the other hand, wasn't amused. "Now you have nearly doomed my partner to the noodles." they said in a very annoyed feminine voice. One of her arms scooped out Spirius-3 from the chow mein.

 I then proceeded to go along the lunch line, scooping in various foods. I finally arrived at the cash register, where its arm scanned my lunch.

  "That'll be $5.67 out of the school budget," he scoffed. "Proceed, or whatevah."

 I shrugged, and began to walk towards a table.

 Now then, I don't know about you, but in my school, you can sit at any table. So you probably haven't had that problem where you wonder where to sit.

 I looked around, boggled. I finally made up my mind when I saw Brad at one table, talking to Richie Rich. I figured I should sit with my tour guide, so I walked over there. "Hey, Brad," I said. "How's it going?"

  "Fine," Brad replied. Richie Rich stared at me. "Wow!" he yelled. "So, you're Lee Garmadon's son?"

  "Lee Garmadon....?"

  "You don't know him?" Richie asked. He shrugged. "Oh well, then. You're still cool!"

 I was about to reply when Francis, Finn, Gene, and Diablo sat at my table.

  "So, Lloyd," Finn said, sitting right next to me. "I was thinking; since I'm the greatest bully here, and you're the son of Lee Garmadon, one of the most powerful and skilled people in history, we should team up together!"

  "Team up." I repeated.

  "Yep. We could become the greatest bullies ever!"

  "Uh... no thanks," I said randomly. Finn frowned. "Why not?"

  "Because... I'm not interested in, uh... being a bully right now," I explained cautiously.

  "Wait, so you don't know who Lee is?" Diablo Sanchez interrupted, soaking his spaghetti with sriracha hot sauce.

  "Nope," I said. "Not even a single clue."

  "Of course," Gene interrupted, unimpressed. "I was hoping you'd be smart, but you don't know a single thing! You're a sight to make Mr. Metallicus faint!"

  "Sweet!" Terrence said, coming down to sit at my table. "Insult battle!"

  "Well, you're a nerd with a stuffy voice, with a stuffier nose, and a stuffier personality!" I retorted.

  "OWCH!" Finn, Terrence, Francis, Richie, Diablo Sanchez, and Brad said, impressed.

  "You must have terrible hygiene; I've never seen Spirius-3 malfunction from bad breath before!"

  "BURN!"

  "That was creamed spinach, the stuff you're eating right now!"

  "OWW!!!"

  "Then I must have better resilience, whereas you haven't shown anything special!"

  "TRIPLE BURN!!!!"

  "What's so cool about being a nerd?"

  "HA-HA!!!"

  "Will you guys please stop that?" Gene demanded, glaring at Finn, Richie, Terrence, Diablo, Francis, and Brad.

  "No."

  "Will you please stop the commotion?" Spirius-1 asked, coming by with his cart and mop. "Oh, hey, Spirius," I said.

  "You know him?" Diablo asked. I nodded.

  "Nonetheless, I think we can agree that Mr. Garmadon has won the insult battle," Terrence concluded.

  "Now, wait a minute!" Gene interrupted. "I wasn't even finished!" 

  "Oh, great!" Brad said. "It isn't ending!"

 Finn, Richie, Diablo Sanchez, Francis, Terrence, and him cheered.

  "Let me explain the benefits of being a nerd," Gene explained smugly. "Nerds are comonly smarter than others, and as a result, they have the best grades. Thus, they tend to end up in college, and become scientists that help invent things like the aPad, virtual reality, etc."

 I thought about that, and shrugged. I guess he was right. It wasn't too good admitting being wrong, but I was already famous here.

  "I guess you're right," I muttered, conceding defeat. Gene grinned smugly, while everyone else looked disappointed.

  "That's it?" Finn said.

  "Boring," Francis muttered.

  "Well, then, now that that's settled," I mused. "How about we-"

 I was interrupted by a surprisingly high-pitched scream.

  " _AGGGHHH!!!_ LLOYD! YOUR TRAY!!!"

 I jumped about a foot in the air when Brad yelled. I then looked at my tray, and jumped at least twenty feet.


	7. The Janitor shoots my lunch (Or what's left of it)

 Brad stood there, pointing. Gene looked dumdfounded. Francis was looking panicked. Richie screamed like a little girl. Diablo Sanchez fainted. Finn jumped back. Terrence held up his tray like a shield.

 There was some _thing_ on my tray! It was like some sort of ash that was such a dark purple it looked black. Violet and ebon smoke covered it, and the stuff seemed to ooze some black slime.

 It was eating away at my tray, and there was already a decent sized hole where it had first started.

 Spirius-1 noticed this immediately. Despite being a few tables away, he whipped out his signature mop and went commando (or janitor?). He slammed it onto the stuff.

 Unfortunately, smoke spewed from beneath the mop, and more of the oozing ash began to crawl up the mop, eating it up and making it rot.

 Spirius-1 dropped the mop and took out a hi-tech spray gun, and unleashed a torrent of water onto the mess.

 We all cheered; but then the water began to blacken, and it was beginning to fill with the stuff. The oozing ash raced toward the spray gun with lightning speed. 

 Spirius-1 dropped his go-to gadget, even as The Stuff (I decided to call it that) reached the spray gun. It fell onto the floor and began to dissolve in the ash.

 Even more disigusting was that what little remained of the spray gun began to shatter into pieces. The remains then began to shift around, taking some disgusting new shape.

 Spirius-1 wouldn't see it happen in _his_ school! He reached back into the cart and whipped out a laser gun with the same design as him, with the black color and glowing streaks.

  "BBBBBZZZZZZAAAAKKLLKELKELEKLE!!!!!"

 A crimson bolt of energy lashed out from the laser gun and blasted The Stuff to oblivion. There was a blinding explosion of flashing blue and yellow lights, and when it was gone, all that remained of my tray, the mop, and the hi-tech spray gun was a pile of gray remains that looked a lot like a mix between charred wood and coal. In a few places and spots were sizzling specks of The Stuff.

 Everyone stared at me.

  "Uh.... what?" I asked. "Just 'cause it was my tray doesn't mean-"

  "So, what happened?" Diablo Sanchez said, getting up. He had remained unconscious through the whole event. Huh.

  "Please part away from the rubble IMMEDIATELY." Spirius-1 chirped. Brad, Gene, Richie, Finn, Terrence, Francis, Diablo Sanchez, and I backed away from the table.

  "This strange form of matter must be studied," he said. He looked at everyone. "Depart the cafeteria, please."

 We all obeyed.

 As we flooded out of the cafeteria, Brad tapped my shoulder. "Seriously, Lloyd," he insisted. "The weird ash first appeared somewhere near your hand."

  "So I have superpowers?" I asked, brightening up. "Cool!"

 Brad paused for a bit as that idea began to sink in. He then grinned. "Yeah, definitely cool!"

 Now, sorry for the spoiler and all, but I would soon find out that my 'superpowers' were anything but cool.

 

 As I followed everyone through the halls of my school, I noticed my class was talking all about the little incident with The Stuff. Most of them were glancing at me occasionally, which unsettled me.

  "So, we're going to science class now, right?" I asked Brad. Brad nodded. "Ms. Arakchos' appearance may be a little... weird, but you get used to it."

 I raised an eyebrow. "Is she gonna be some hybrid of a halloween monster and an animal?" I asked as we climbed up some stairs, referring to Mr. Frared.

  "Uh.... no."

 I thought about how arachnids were spiders, and how 'Arakchos' sounded similair to that word.

  "Spiders?" I suggested. Brad nodded. "The design was based off of it, anyway."

 After a few minutes, we managed to travel to what must've been the floor below the top one.

 I thought that was strange, but I remembered how some scientists had HUGE telescopes on top of their labratories.

 We finally arrived at the end of a hallway. There was an elevator, but this one was oil-black and had glowing green streaks all over, like the Spirius robots.

 The elevator opened up, with the same desing on the inside, and no graffiti.

 As we stepped inside and the doors closed, I looked at Brad. "This.... color scheme is familiar," I pointed out. "Did this Ms. Arakchos make Spirius-1 and his bros?"

 Brad nodded. "Just looking at her, it's obvious."

 The elevator stopped. The doors opened up, and we stepped out.

 I was pretty dumbfounded. We were in a huge, massive dark room. It had white, stainless steel walls, and was crowded to the brim with metal shelves.

 Crammed into these shelves were all sorts of gadgets, and glass cylinders filled with bizzare, grotesque life forms in some gross glowing liquid that illuminated the room dimly.

 In one corner, on the wall, was a round window. Pointed at it was a long metal pole with miscellaneous objects, which I realized was some sort of telescope. 

  "Weird...." I muttered.

 I followed everyone to the center of the room, which was dominated by a massive wooden table. It was covered to the brim with a mess of used-up batteries, crumpled blue prints, microscopes, gadgets, and all sorts of wiring.

 Standing, hunched over the mess, was what had to be Ms. Arakchos.

 And boy was Brad right about her appearance!

 She resembled a massive, mechanical spider. She was oil-black, with glowing green streaks covering her. She had six legs instead of eight, and the 'abdomen' had some sort of syringe at the end.

 At the front, where her head was supposed to be, was a thin, mechanical chest, with two skinny arms tipped with lethal talons. Her neck was long, at least two feet, and her head was just as weird as her body.

 Her head was a round, metal disk, with a transparent dome of green plexiglas on top. Inside the dome, floating around in some ghastly glowing green liquid, was a brain. At each side of her head was a round cone, the bottom facing the front, with a glowing green dome on it, resembling eyes. The rim of the bottom of the disk was lined with steel fangs, and she was equipped with a lower jaw with the same kind of teeth.

  "Erp," I squeaked. Arakchos immediately looked up. "Ah, yes, Jonathan's class." she said in a female, robotic voice.

 She noticed me instantly. "Ah, you must be Mr. Garmadon!" she exclaimed excitedly. Normally I'd boast about my ancestry, but I was worried she might conduct a few 'experiments' on me 'cause of it.

 I nodded. "Yep," I said. "Who's Jonathan?"

  "Jonathan Frared," Arakchos explained. "He wasn't always a Jack-O-Lantern, you know," she said dreamily, which really grossed me out. Old people love! Bleck!

  "And you're Melissa?" I asked, remembering what Mr. Frared had said about Johnny Depp doing the cha-cha slide.

 Arakchos nodded. "Indeed, Mr. Garmadon. And so, now that we've met, and since it's your birthday, we should celebrate!" 

 I instantly visualized me on some cold, metal table, with Ms. Arakchos standing over me with some saw, planning to study my brain.

  "AAAAGGGGHHH!!!!!" I screamed. "DON'T EAT MY BRAIN!!!!"

 Everyone simply stared at me. A few people, including Gene and Finn, snickered.

 Ms. Arakchos chuckled. "Don't worry, Mr. Garmadon, as fascinating an organism as you are, I already have my own star specimen."

 She then scuttled over to a shelf and took out a DVD. "Well, then, to celebrate, we're going to watch a Sci-fi movie!"

 Everyone cheered, and I relaxed. Ms. Arakchos took out a TV and set it onto the table, before putting in the movie (Star Fare: The Twin Wars). She then set up several chairs, and we all sat on them.

  "Now, then, class, while I study my recent, new specimen, I expect -or rather, DO expect but would rather have you NOT do- you not to mess around with my inventions, accidentally create incurable plagues and/or viruses, or blow up the planet."

 Everyone (reluctantly) nodded.

 While the TV screen blared to life, I watched Ms. Arakchos grab a microscope and scuttle off to another table. I wondered what her specimen was. She said she got it recently.

 I remembered how, since he was made by her, Spirius-1 was like Ms. Arakchos' robot slave/worker/butler/pathetic-servant-without-a-life, and how he had stated that The Stuff was going to be examined. I was already forming a theory about Ms. Arakchos examining The Stuff under that microscope of hers.

 I wondered how I was able to conjure that stuff after all these years. How come I couldn't do that earlier? Maybe it had something to do with my age or something, or perhaps there was something ancient or mystical nearby that had triggered it.

 When no one was looking, I snuck over to where Ms. Arakchos was. Her left eye was practically glued to the eyepiece.

  "Fascinating," she whispered. "I'll _definitely_ have to show Metallicus this!" 

  _The Stuff?_ I thought.  _Metallicus? Maybe I should tell Brad about this._

 I slowly crept back into my seat and tapped Brad on the shoulder.

  "Hey, Brad," I whispered. "I was recently spying on Ms. Arakchos. I think her specimen's The Stuff, and she plans to show Metallicus it!"

 Brad nodded. "That's what I was thinking, too. And it makes sense for her to ask Metallicus. He knows more stuff than nearly anyone in existence!"

  "He does?" I asked. Brad nodded. "Besides, it's clearly The Stuff. Now was the first time she mentioned this 'specimen', and even Gene doesn't have any idea what it is!"

  "The Stuff," I asked. "Or the specimen?"

 Brad shrugged, and that was the end of our conversation.

 I continued to watch Kalligan Donnigan fight off several Fighter Drones with his illuma-sword. I thought about The Stuff, and dreamed about knowing my parents.

 I then realized that after science class was history, as Brad had told me. And the one who taught history was....

 Metallicus.

 Even before I found out he liked passing out homework, his name creeped me out. I had a feeling he had a lot to do with my past, and I wondered why Trexdis feared him so much? And I remembered how Brad told me that even Mr. Draik was cautious of the creep, which puzzled me even more.

 By the time Count Cuusoo was talking to his master, the Imperial Sludge, Ms. Arakchos finally tore herself from her microscope and scuttled over to us.

  "Well, then, class, as since this movie is already ending, I feel I can end it now."

 She unplugged the cable.

 We all groaned.

  "And now, it's time for history class!" she said. Ms. Arakchos visibly darkened. "You know the drill; don't make any trouble, don't irritate Mr. Metallicus, and WHATEVER you do, don't question the worth of smarts!"

 She instantly scuttled away, and I now had an extra reason to fear this Metallicus creep.

 As we went into the elevator, I noticed Brad eyeing me with what seemed to be pity.


	8. Metallicus

 I followed my class as we descended several staircases and went down all sorts of hallways. I was anxious to meet this Metallicus guy, but also afraid. He sounded pretty terrifying. I rallied up all the reasons I should be afraid as we went down a stair case littered with candy wrappers;

 

  1. Mr. Draik doesn't trust him



 

  1. He likes giving out homework



 

  1. Brad, Ms. Trexdis, and Ms. Arakchos feared him



 

  1. I always had this cold feeling in my stomach everytime I thought about him



 

 And that was about it. Not too much, not too little (I think).

 It was when we traveled down a long, winding hallway when everyone stopped.

 At the left was a door.

 And above the door, under a golden plaque, was this; 'Metallicus: Leader of the Metal Clan, he who knows everything, surviving prey of the Mantore'.

 Metal Clan? Mantore? Nonetheless, I had a sick feeling in my stomach and felt hot. I could've sworn I was sweating.

  "We're here."

 Everyone nodded solemnly, glancing at me. They knew what I was; Dead meat.

 We all walked inside.

 It was a massive wooden classroom. One wall was blanketed by an enormous chalkboard. In front of the chalkboard-wall was a polished, dark desk of mesquite wood, littered with dusty, torn books. Another side of the room was populated by a storm of shelves, all crammed neatly with an assortment of books, the titles in fancy gold gilt, some in a different language. Standing in front of a few shelves were plastic skeletons of all sorts of creatures, some four-armed, others resembling two-headed snake men.

 The back of the room had a copy machine, and the last wall was blank, all except for a message torn and carved into it;

 

  _The Hollow Shell_

 

 That  _seriously_ freaked me out. The whole place was filled with dirty, musty air, and had an eerie feeling to it.

 And standing by the main desk was a man who was staring at us;

 Metallicus.

 

 Metallicus was covered entirely in silver armor, with sleek shoulder pads. His hands were tipped with short, metallic talons that I could already hear scraping chalkboards. He had a somewhat thin frame, but he was clearly lethal. He had a flowing, oil-black cape, and his helmet was yet another gruesome aspect of him. His helmet had two sharp, lethal horns, one on each side, and the eyeholes were covered and filled with some clear, scarlet glass, which I recognized as smooth diamond.

 There wasn't a single part of his body exposed, no hole for any ant or speck of air to sneak inside, not even a mouthpiece to breath with. With a horrible squeaking sound ringing from his heels, he walked forward, his fingers pointed and curved viciously behind him.

 He stared down at all of us. I looked into his eyeholes, but I couldn't see anything; both literally _and_ figuratively.

 I couldn't spot the merest trace of human emotion, or any emotion of ANY kind. I couldn't even see his eyes, not even a face, just empty blackness.

  "Well... then," he said. He had a voice that wasn't raspy or deep, just normal and ordinary. Despite that, it still, thankfully, held emotion; Spite, smugness, and more other terrifiyng stuff.

  "Well, what are you waiting for?!" he snarled. "Get into your desks. _Now._ "

 We obliged and obeyed. I went for the seat farthest away from his desk, but was too late, and was trapped once more in the front row.

 Metallicus began pacing around, watching us, until he stopped right in front of me.

  "Well, well, well." he hissed. "Lloyd Montgomery _Garmadon_. I can't say I'm impressed."

 He looked around at the class. "Since this is Little Lloyd's birthday, we should celebrate!" he announced in a mocking tone. "From now on, everyone in the back row _stays_ in the back row."

 The kids in the back row did silent cheers.

  "Because these are now your _permanent_ seats." He faced me, and with a voice filled with contempt, said, "I hope you chose well." 

  "But I'm in the front row!" I blurted out. Everyone stared at me, and I instantly knew that I had made a mistake.

 Metallicus looked down at me. "Well, you fancy that?" he asked mockingly.

 I knew I should've shut up, but I was way too angry. This guy was just making fun of me! He reminded me of every bully I met, except a million times worse! Plus, just looking at him put that cold feeling in my stomach, which confused and angered me.

  "No, I do NOT fancy that!" I retorted. "Besides, I don't even think you have permission to do that!"

 Metallicus looked away. "Ah, yes. The joys of ignorance," he murmured to himself. "I miss them dearly. Such is the price of knowledge."

 Nonetheless, he looked back at me. "I'll come through to Mr. Draik after class. And if he disagrees with me, then what difference does it make? You'll just choose a different seat the next day."

 I instantly shut my mouth. He had just defeated me in what might've been an insult battle.

 Metallicus straightened up and cleared his voice. "Well, then, despite this prestigious event, I'm afraid we still have a pop quiz."

 Everyone groaned, except Gene. He just grinned nastily at me, and I then knew instantly that he was Metallicus' teacher's pet.

 Metallicus walked over to his desk and took out a thick stack of papers. He removed each packet, handing them out. I got the first one.

 I picked up the packet, felt it in my hands, and looked at the back. Thirty questions.

 I felt dizzy. I shook my head and took out a pencil. History might not be my best subject, but school was school. After writing my name down, I looked at the first question;

 

What fighting style did Shin Fu first use?

 

  1. Pyy Rho
  2. Dejj Arekk
  3. Tantalo
  4. Khana



 

 I stared. What the heck?! I didn't even know who Shin Fu was! I never even heard of 'Pai Sho' or 'Khana' or whatever!

 I decided to look at the other questions, but they were all dizzying. It was a bunch of nonsense about Lightning Clans and Serpentine war strategies. 

 I was desperate, so I just guessed what seemed like the best answer. I circled the letter B and did the same with all the other questions.

 However, at question 22, something weird happened. Here's what it said;

 

Which Golden Weapon did Kin Garmadon make first?

 

  1. The Scythe of Quakes
  2. The Nun-chuks of Lightning
  3. The Dragon Sword of Fire
  4. The Shurikens of Ice



 

 Kin Garmadon!? That was MY last name!

 And what was even weirder; I felt as if I knew the answer! I instantly stared at answer A. And what was even more strange was that these names seemed... familiar.

 I just shrugged it off and circled A.

 I was finished before everyone else, except Gene, because I only guessed, and that Gene was clearly the smartest one in this class.

 After everyone was finished, Metallicus walked around and picked up our tests. He got mine first and flipped through it, scanning the answers. He seemed to relish the answers I chose, which either meant I succeeded or failed.

 After he was done, he set them on his desk and walked in front of the chalk board, before facing all of us.

  "Class," he said. "I hope you were prepared for this test. Because, as insignificant as a miniature test may seem, it is important."

 He began pacing around as he spoke. "A pop quiz is a surprise. An ambush. It is meant to ensure that the student ALWAYS has a ready and prepared mind. For one day, when they grow up and become tyrants or corrupt politicians, they  shall be forced by fate to be prepared for any ruthless and brutal situation. I feel good for those of you who passed. Because for you who didn't..."

 I thought I could've seen something flash in his eyes. "I foresee a future. A vague one. You  _failures_ won't be part of it."

 He stopped pacing around. "Time to review the questions," he announced. He stared at the class, but he seemed to stare at _me_ the most.

  "I hope you chose well," he said. "Because this information is going to be life-saving for a few of you." 

 I couldn't help but snort in derision. "What job would have us answer which made-up ninja clan did this or when some fairy-tale snake men attacked that?"

 Gene glared at me. My other classmates seemed impressed at my defiance.

 Metallicus, however, just stared. "I suppose it is time for a speech," he said smoothly. He began pacing around once more.

  "I admit, I simply deeply dislike a lot of you students. I shan't point fingers; the candidates are _obvious_."

 Everyone stared at Brad, Francis, and a few others.

  "Nonetheless, where is my justice? I had first come to this when I was a mere child, angry at another, and my fair -or not so fair, depends on your point of view, as I shall go on about- mother told me to try empathy, to try and look at things from the enemy's point of view. That was when I had a moment of clarity."

 Metallicus stopped and stared at all of us."So I had realized that my ideas and other parts of what I thought of things was but a simple, blunt, and narrow point of view."

  "I then began to study the point of view. It was then I had realized that my life, too, was but a small, minor detail in a world as intricate as a story that fabulous authors such as J.K. Rowling or Rick Riordan might come up with in a most rather fine period of their life; or, perhaps, a grisly one, because they chose dark chocolate over white, yada-yada. Well, that's the chaos theory."

  "I admit; I was ambitious. I wanted to become more than a detail, I wanted to be a character! And so it was then I realized something called wisdom. I realized how different pieces of wisdom came from all sorts of points of view, and that no living being could come up with all the wisdom in the world by themself."

  "Thus, I had, as some people said, 'wasted' my youth scouring the globe, going beyond Ninjago, searching for all sorts of points of view. Ultimate wisdom is like a recipe, with the most exotic and rare ingredients you must search for yourself." 

  "So, search for the ingredients I had. The nomadic ways of a few monks, first to meet, aided me on my journey, as did their wisdom they passed on to me. Over the years, I began seeing experimentally at the same object but with a different point of view. I had nearly succeeded in ultimate wisdom when I had originally seen a teddy bear as a cute little toy, and later on, as one of many artful reinterpretations of reality."

  "These points of view I had collected were most amazing! A few, however, I had to beware. The views of a madman were especially dangerous; like a fragile jalapeno in the recipe. Mess up with it, and the recipe, or wisdom, would be ruined. If I was too passionate with one point of view, I would once more become blunt and narrow."

  "Nevertheless, after all the years, it was bitter work, but it was all worth it. I no longer saw anything the same ever since; I was a master of surprise. I could predict anyone's move by thinking as they did, by feeling as they did. With nothing else to do, I found this boarding school and settled here. 'Wasted' my youth, indeed- To some, I had most certainly. To others, I had chosen the greatest accomplishment ever! And for the bystander; an interesting feat."

 Everyone just stared at him. By the looks of it, I think he had just told us his entire life story!

 Gene clapped. "Outstanding speech, sir!" he praised. "Your words were an art of literature!"

  "I still don't see what was the purpose of this speech," I retorted. "I just wanted to know why we had the pop quiz."

 Metallicus looked down at me. "Maybe you should look at it from another point of view," he explained smoothly.

 He walked back to his desk. "Well, then, I believe it is now time to start checking answers!" he announced.

 He took out a piece of chalk and began writing down the first question.

 Metallicus looked at all of us. "Now, then, class, who can answer for me this; Which fighting style did martial artist Shin Fu first utilize?"

 He scanned all of us with vicious malice. He didn't hesitate for a moment when he pointed at me. "Mr. Garmadon!" he said. "Why don't you show us the answer?"

 Doomed, I tried to make my way towards the chalkboard bravely. Metallicus swiftly scraped the board with his piece of chalk, and I was now facing the four answer choices.

  "Uh... the first fighting style Shin Food-"

 Everyone instantly laughed out loud.

  "Shin FU," Metallicus corrected. I gritted my teeth and nodded. "The first fighting style Shin Fu used was... uh.... Khana?"

 It was then that I coincidentally remembered at JUST that moment that I had chosen B, Dejj Arekk.

 Metallicus shook his head. "Nice guess, but most sincerely incorrect!"

 Everyone looked at me, unimpressed. I made things worse when I said, "But Metallicus, I've never even heard of these fighting styles in my life! I don't even have any idea who's Shin Food!"

 Oops.

 Everyone laughed; both at my unawareness, and the fact that I just said Shin Food.

 Metallicus grabbed a ruler and rapped the chalkboard with it. "Settle down, settle down!" he yelled.

 Everyone shut up.

  "So, does anyone happen to know the answer?" Metallicus asked. Gene instantly raised his hand. When Metallicus pointed one silver finger at him, he instantly got out of his desk and walked over.

  "The first fighting style Shin FU-" he glared at me, while I just stood a few feet away like a moron "-used was Pyy Rho. May I demonstrate?"

 Metallicus nodded, and Gene grabbed a ruler and dragged a plastic skeleton over.

  "Pyy Rho is a technique in which the user assaults the opponent with several swift strikes and/or jabs all over their body. While each strike is not powerful, they are supposed to be swift enough to go past all the opponent's attacks, and once he wears down, the user does the FINAL strike."

 Gene suddenly began whacking the skeleton all over its body with the ruler. Its plastic limbs bent and snapped, and he finished it off. 

 I gritted my teeth. "Teacher's pet," I muttered under my breath.

 Metallicus nodded, satisfied. "Mr. Technos, you may go back to your seat. The same order applies to you as well, Mr. Garmadon."

 As Metallicus said that to me, I could've sworn I noticed a hint of disapproval in his voice.

 The rest of the class went on. I got a few questions right, but I got 13% (the unlucky number, so it made sense in a way), so I knew instantly that I failed, and considering Metallicus' look of relish when he saw my answers earlier, I knew he was the kind of teacher who wants you to fail.

 The bell rang, and Metallicus faced all of us. "I'm afraid to say that a few of us FAILED most utterly," he announced disapprovingly. I noticed his head twitch towards my direction.

 Disappointed, I grabbed my stuff and dumped it sloppily into my backpack. With Gene shining like a beacon in this class, with him getting 100% on his quiz and all, I noticed how he was a lot more neat with his stuff, and how he had a hand-held pencil sharpener, extra pencils, accordion folders, etc. I looked away and tried to reassure myself that he wasn't more organized than I was; his parents just made him do-

 My parents.

  "Metallicus!" I yelled instantly.

 Everyone stopped. Gene, Finn, Terrence, and all the others stared at me. But Metallicus stared at me more intently than everyone else. "I think I know where this is going to go," he muttered to himself.

 I would've been embarrassed, but I HAD to know! My life-long question was bouncing around in my head!

 I straightened up in my seat.

  "Who were my parents?"

 Metallicus nodded. "Then I was right; they haven't told you yet."

 I nodded. "Look, I know I'm being pathetic and all, practically begging you, but I have to know! Every birthday, christmas, whatever, I always pray nearly every minute that I'd get to find out about my parents!" I admitted. "And, well, yesterday, my prayers were finally answered!" 

 Metallicus sighed. "Pity you couldn't come here much earlier," he said. He faced the rest of the class. "Everyone, have a seat. It is time I gave you another history lesson."

 We all sat down anxiously, and I realized everyone else had wondered why I just came here out of nowhere.

 Metallicus began pacing around the room. "Well, let me start with the 'legend' of Ninjago's creation," he announced.


	9. The Legend of Ninjago

  "Long before time had a name, the First Spinjitzu Master crafted Ninjago with the infinite power of the four Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu; The Scythe of Quakes, the Dragon Sword of Fire, the Shurikens of Ice, and the Nun-chuks of Lightning,"

  "Weapons so powerful, that even the gods would shatter just by merely holding all four at once! When Ninjago was created, the First Spinjitzu Master settled there. And yet, where there is light, there is always _shadow_."

  "From the blackest of all existence was forged the Overlord, a being so dark and endless a mere movement of his finger could shatter mountains! He challenged the First Spinjitzu Master, and the two dueled for what should've been an eternity."

  "However, the Overlord was not a fool and knew instantly neither would win. Thus, he cheated by forging the Stone Army, and he amassed his army towards his enemy!"

  "The First Spinjitzu Master knew he would lose, and so he split Ninjago in two, banishing the Overlord from this world, and he sinking the dark half of Ninjago beneath the waves! As for the Stone Army.... no one knows what happened."

  "Peace returned. When the First Spinjitzu Master passed, his sons swore to protect the golden weapons. Yet, alas, an evil perhaps greater than the Overlord claimed the eldest son and with him forged the Dark Lord! Succumbed to shadow, the Dark Lord and his younger brother fought, but in the end, he was..... ended."

  "The younger brother, knowing more evil would search for the golden weapons, hid them, and legend speaks of guardians he placed for each of them." 

 Gene clapped. "Outstanding literature, Sir!" he praised, being the teacher's pet he is.

 Metallicus nodded. "Thank you, but my supposed skill is a detail in this story," he said.

 I just stared. "What the heck?! I'm no expert on history, but that has got to be THE WORST explanation ever!" I yelled.

 Metallicus shook his head. "You will find, that as unbelievable as my tellings are, they are true, Mr. Garmadon. The world was once a realm of the supernatural. Now the supernatural are returning, and so I am here to tell the future and present of the past."

  "But what does this-"

  "I was getting there." Metallicus interrupted. He stood right in front of me.

  " _Your_ grandfather, Kin Garmadon, is the First Spinjitzu Master. Lee, your father, is the Dark Lord, and his younger brother's name is Wu. Your mother's name... is Misako."

 I just stared. "Wait," I said. "So MY grandpa made this continent, and my dad nearly blew it up?!" My eyes must've been bulging out like watermelons.

 Metallicus shrugged. "More or less," he replied.

  "But why.... why did my mom, Misako.... _abandon_ me?"

 Metallicus sighed and nodded. "Let me tell you... about The Deal."

  "You see, centuries after your father's defeat, your mother gave birth to you. You and her were inseparable, until warriors of bone attacked. It was Spirius-1 who allowed her to take you to the school's boundaries, where the warriors couldn't pursue. Then, my master came. She made a deal with him, in order to protect you from these hollow warriors; You would be protected here, and at the same time, my master would have you grown into the most _powerful_ being the universe has ever faced! Alas, however, there was a complication..."

  "What?!" I demanded. Metallicus glared at me. "If you don't interrupt, I'd tell you!"

  "My master knew the warriors would go back with reinforcements, so he hid you in an orphanage for the time being. As for your mother... she surrendered and let the hollow warriors take her." 

 Brad leaned forward and patted me on the back. "Feel sorry for you, man," he whispered.

 I didn't know what to think. I should've been crying. Bawling my eyes out and flooding the place with tears.

 But I wasn't.

 I didn't know my mom. I never knew her, never had any idea what she was like. I never got to become attached to her.

 But I still felt sad. I know, how in books the main character gets all sad but then later on learns it was 'for best' or that you should feel happy for them.

 I still didn't know what to feel. I just felt.... disappointed.

 In my mom? No.

 But in myself.

 I wasn't feeling as sad as I thought I should've, and that made me feel guilty.

 But suddenly, I had an idea.

  "Could my mom still be.... alive?"

 Metallicus nodded, somewhat amused. "Ah, yes, I forgot to mention she's still alive,"

  "WHAT?!?"

  "My history is a... complicated and treacherous story," he explained smoothly. "But I do know that these bone warriors wouldn't end her. I figure they let her go... and then she just disappeared off this planet."

 Wait a minute.

  "She was attacked by... _skeletons?_ Like me and Trexdis?!"

 Metallicus nodded, amused, and patted my head. "Clever little boy," he said.

 I had to admit; I felt like running around screaming with joy. Still, I had more questions.

  "What's spinjitzu?" I asked.

 Metallicus seemed exasperated, but he answered anyway. "Spinjitzu is a powerful martial art in which one summons their inner element and weaves it around them in a spiraling vortex of energy," he explained.

  "Could I learn it?" I asked. Metallicus nodded. "Of course. I know how to teach it, anyway."

  "Also... if my mom was alive all those years ago, then how was she alive by the time she took me here?"

 Metallicus stared down intently at me, and I saw that emptiness in his eyes again.

  "The blood of the Garmadons is.... unique. Alchemists and Phantoms believe it to be the key to immortality, for it allows one to age.... forever." 

 My eyes must've bulged out like watermelons.

  "You mean I'm IMMORTAL?!?!??"

 Metallicus did a facepalm. "Incorrect! You CAN age forever, but, say, if, someone, such as a very annoyed history teacher who finds you abhorrent, were to, say, INTRODUCE YOU TO HIS PET MAN-EATING SHARK,  _then_ you may not survive."

 Uh-oh.

  _Maybe I should shut up...._ I thought cautiously.

  "Of course, I could NEVER destroy you, as since my master practically _owns_ you," Metallicus hissed. He glared at me. "However, if you do not live up to his expectations, I assure you that once he deems you worthless, I will _beg_ him to allow me to behold the honor of destroying you!"

 I stared.

 Metallicus straightened up. "Farewell, class," he said. "I hope you enjoyed today's history lesson."

 Of course, Gene was the only one who nodded. Everyone else just stared at me in pity.

 We all silently filed out of the classroom. As we left, however, Metallicus said, "Mr. Technos, I'd like to have a word with you, please."

 Gene nodded. "Of course, Mr. Metallicus," he said, walking back into the classroom. The door closed behind him.

 And by that, I mean that the door closed BY ITSELF.

 I blinked for a second.

  "C'mon, Lloyd," Brad said. "Let's go to gym class."

 I nodded nervously and began to follow everyone. However, when no one was looking, I went back to Metallicus' door. I wanted to know what Metallicus had to say. I leaned my ear against the door, and listened;

 

"Thank you, Mr. Metallicus, for giving me this duty. I accept it with honor!"

"Of course, Mr. Technos, and- GET BACK TO GYM CLASS IMMEDIATELY MR. GARMADON!!!"

 

  "AAGGHHH!!!"! I fell backwards and landed on my butt. I scrambled back to my feet and scurried after Brad and the others.

 By the time I caught up to them, I was already wondering what Metallicus asked Gene to do. Normally in books like Harry Potter, he'd want him to do recon. But where? And to who?

 I bet it was me.

 Also, on a not-too-unrelated note, Metallicus was THE WORST history teacher EVER. 

  "Hey, Brad," I whispered, running up to him.

  "Yeah?"

  "I was eavesdropping on Metallicus and Gene, and-"

  "You have the guts to spy on Metallicus?" Brad seemed impressed. "Sorry. Go on."

  "Right, and apparently, Metallicus wants Gene to do something."

 Brad rolled his eyes. "Of course he'd ask the teacher's pet," he muttered.

  "No need to point out the obvious. Anyway, before I could hear more, Metallicus noticed me and told me to leave instantly."

  "He didn't, like, destroy you?" Brad stared at me, and then grinned. "I guess the deal your mom made worked after all!"

  "Speaking about my mom," I added. "If she's alive, where is she?"

  "Good question," Brad said. "Let's talk about it later; it's time for gym."

 As he said that, we followed the rest of our class down a hallway.

 At the end, like the cafeteria, was a pair of double doors. In gold letters, right above the doors, spelled, 'Gym class (or P.E.)'.

 I wasn't really much of a fan of gym (or P.E.). I admit, I wasn't the fastest or the strongest, and I was kind of sensitive about that. I just hoped that we wouldn't do anything _too_ extreme.

 Boy was I wrong.


	10. We get rescued from Flaming Dodgeball

 When we walked inside, I took into account what the gym looked like.

 The walls were made of solid brick, and above the only lights were a bunch of cheap lightbulbs under those weird little dishes hanging around. The smooth gym floor was slick with some sort of grease, and upon further inspection, I realized it was SWEAT.

 There were all sorts of gym equipment, including two basketball hoops. At the opposite side of the gym to the doors was an office door, and a big fat window to look through.

  "Brick walls?" I asked. "Shouldn't there be, like, some sort of mats so that if someone crashes into them, they won't have to be sent to the hospital?"

  "THERE AREN'T ANY MATS 'CUZ MATS ARE FOR SISSIES!" 

 Suddenly, a guy just dropped out of nowhere right in front of us.

 He was pretty tall, only a few inches shorter than Draik in his bat form. He had this caged mask-like helmet over his head that concealed his face, with only red, blood-shot eyes that could be seen.

 His skin was gray, and he was lanky to the point that he looked atrophied. He had white, worn-out bandages wrapped around his fists, and had worn-out, faded red sneakers. He wore a crimson metal chest plate, and shoulder pads to match, not to mention torn red nylon pants. On his back was this weird contraption.

  "Uh.... are you the gym teacher?" I asked.

  "YES!" he yelled in a huge, gruff voice. "MY NAME'S NATHANIEL YELATEM, THOUGH YOU CAN CALL ME COACH YELATEM, OR JUST COACH!"

 He stomped over to the middle of the gym.

  "OKAY, SISSIES! AS SINCE THIS IS THE SON OF LEE GARMADON, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO TRAIN HIM TO TIP-TOP WAR MACHINE SHAPE! TO START, I WANNA START WITH ONE-HUNDRED NOSE-UPS!"

 Diablo fainted. Gene went pale. Richie tried to hide behind Finn, who tried to hide behind him, and then Francis tried to hide behind Finn (or was it Richie?).

 Everyone else went pale and went down to their knees, begging for mercy. I did the same.

  "SHUT UP!" Coach Yelatem roared. "IF YOU WANNA BE THE ULTIMATE OVERLORD, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO BE ABLE TO CRUSH YOUR ARCH-NEMESIS WITH YOUR FINGERS LIKE HE'S SPARROW EGG!"

  "Did you get that from Wreck-it Ralph?" I asked randomly.

  "QUITE, SERGEANT, AND YES! I SURE DID! NOW,  _START DOING THOSE NOSE-UPS!!!!!!!!_ "

 We all instantly ran to our places and got to our hands and knees before doing as many nose-ups as I could.

 I hated nose-ups. They were basically push-ups, except that when you did one, you had to touch the floor with your nose each time.

 My arms whined, and I was already getting sweaty. The Darkley's uniform didn't help, either.

 Meanwhile, Coach Yelatem walked around, watching us like a hawk, screaming kind words of encouragement. For example, he would occasionally scream things like,

  "COMPLAINING IS FOR SISSIES! REAL VILLAINS DO FIVE HUNDRED OF THESE WITHOUT BREAKING A SWEAT!"

 Then, he might say something such as,

  "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?! YOU'RE DOING PUSH-UPS LIKE A CHICKEN!"

 And then there was that time he said,

  "TEN-HUT TEN-HUT TEN- _HURRY UP!!!!!!!"_

 Me?

 My lungs were screaming and burning, as was my throat. My arms whined, and my feet kept slipping on my own sweat. Sweat blinded me, and I felt like fainting with the heat from my uniform.

 Coach Yelatem, at one time, saw a poor class mate who was struggling to catch up, and as punishment, promptly sat on him.

 The student collapsed.

   "AS PUNISHMENT FOR WEAKNESS, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO CARRY EXTRA WEIGHT!" Coach Yelatem yelled. "YOU'RE LUCKY I AIN'T FAT!"

 Finally, as his final word of encouragement, he decided to go the whole hog and roared,

  "HURRY UP OR ELSE I'LL SEND YOU BACK TO HISTORY CLASS!!!!"

 Suddenly, it was as if someone dumped a sack of sugar into our bloodstream. All of us began doing nose-ups at uber speed.

 As I was panting and gasping for sweat, I wondered how some of the teachers got their jobs.

 I then began to wonder why Mr. Draik hired Metallicus. I mean, the guy was vicious and evil (and I meant it this time, unlike other 'ordinary' teachers I hated), and this history he made up was obviously a lie!

 I was wondering who'd even believe him?!

 And, with a jolt, I realized I would've.

 You see, his explanation of why my parents left and who they were was insane and stupid and all, but I didn't care. I would've even been fine if they turned out to be evil people who ate sunflower seeds and wanted to take over the world in an ice cream truck! Just _some_ explanation!

 Still, a part of me wondered what Metallicus' resume looked like...

 

  1. Is a great liar!



 

  1. Has a sense of fashion people like Megatron and Lex Luther would just love!



 

  1. Gives long and boring evil speeches every minute of his life; _regardless_ of the audience



 

  _Okay, that PROBABLY wasn't what it looked like,_ I thought. _But if I had to do it for him, I'd write that down, along with a few more of his more gruesome traits, just so no one else would make the same mistake Draik did._

 Anyway, I continued doing nose-ups, until I finally slipped on my own sweat and drool and collapsed onto the floor, with my throat feeling like sandpaper.

 I suddenly wondered how many nose-ups I did? It _felt_ like a hundred, but it was probably just twenty or thirty.

 I decided to just call it a day. I deserved it. After all, I had to deal with a skeleton, an evil shape-shifting principal, a halloween creep, an invisible teacher, robots, a mechanical spider thingy, a megalomaniacal history teacher, and a coach obssessed with screaming and extreme workouts.

 After about a minute or two, everyone was finished, being little more than lumps of panting flesh lying on the floor.

 Coach Yelatem didn't seem pleased.

  "PATHETIC!!!" he roared. He faced Finn, who was gasping like a goldfish. "YOU DIDN'T EVEN GO CLOSE TO THE HIGH SCORE!!!" he screamed. "THE HIGH SCORE WAS ONLY _FOUR_  MINUTES, AND THE STUDENT THAT DID THAT HIGH SCORE WAS-"

 He suddenly stopped himself, as if something got caught in his throat. He cleared his throat and said, "Never mind."

 Suddenly, he grinned viciously. "WELL, THEN, SPEAKING OF WHICH," he added. "TODAY, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE THE MOST BRUTAL SPORT IN HISTORY TO YOU WORM-EATERS!"

 Worm-eaters must've been his nickname for us.

  "Is it ballet?" Brad asked.

  "Nah," Finn interrupted. "Probably synchronized swimming,"

  "I'd say it's-"

  "QUIET!!!!!!" Coach Yelatem roared. "OUR NEW SPORT TODAY IS FLAMING DODGEBALL!!!"

 Suddenly, he took out a big, fat, red dodgeball. He took out a match, lit it, and put the puny little flame right below the dodgeball.

 The whole thing went up in flames. Luckily for Yelatem, he had bandages of some sort wrapped around his hands.

 On the other hand, we didn't have _any_ form of protection! 

 Everyone just stared at Coach Yelatem, looking like Patrick when his and Spongebob's car got eaten in the Spongebob Squarepants movie.

  "Excuse me, Mr. Yelatem, but WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU THINKING?!"

 Everyone turned around, just in time to see someone enter the gym.

 He was an adult, this one clothed entirely in black, obsidian armor, who walked with an official air. He wore a mask-like helmet all over his head and face. It was black as night, and shaped like an up-side down bullet. There were grooves carved around the helmet, making it seem like someone had originally sliced it into pieces before putting it back together. As a final touch, like all dark and evil bad guys with gaunt appearances, he had some sort of cape; it was a black, oily, cloak. Not necessarily a cape, but close enough nonetheless. He was also pretty tall; only a few inches shorter than Mr. Draik!

 He walked into the gym hurriedly, staring right at the flaming dodgeball, his hands on the side of his head, similar to what people do when they scream things like, "LA CUCURACHA! THE CARNIVAL'S ON FIRE!" or something like that.

 Coach Yelatem gave him a look of loathing. "I was just going to teach them some flaming dodgeball!" he answered, gesturing to us.

 The man-in-black just stared at him. "You'll injure them! Burn them! Scar them for life!"

 Coach Yelatem nodded. "Isn't that what we're all supposed to do? I mean, a REAL villain ought to have some muscles, scars, and a tragic backstory!"

 The man-in-black made a sound of disgust. "Lex Luthor didn't have any scars- his skin was perfect! Plus, he was pretty much a wimp."

  "Yeah? Well he still had a tragic backstory!"

  "Like what?"

  "He turned bald as an egg when he was a kid! How is that NOT tragic?!"

 The man-in-black did a facepalm. "Do remember that I am the secretary," he warned. "I can easily tell Mr. Draik about this, and I doubt he'd like the idea of you torching his precious students!" 

 Coach Yelatem glared at him. "You wouldn't dare!"

 The secretary just laughed darkly. "I know all about the dreams, Nathaniel," he replied. "Draik did a good job."

 Coach Yelatem began shaking, his entire body all over going red with rage. For a moment, I thought he'd go berserk and start attacking the secretary like a wild beast, but he eventually slowly calmed down.

  "Fine," he muttered. "We'll do _normal_ dodgeball."

 The secretary still glared at him. "Look at these kids," he said, gesturing towards us. "Do they look like in any shape to play dodgeball?"

 Most of us were lying on the floor, as if someone just dumped us there, sweating and panting all over the place. One was practically gasping for air, his breathing making a dry, wheezing sound, and another was slowly clawing his way towards the water fountain.

 Coach Yelatem glanced at us. "Yes."

 The secretary shook his head. "Just give them a break," he snarled. "Or else you can say bye-bye to a good night's sleep."

 Coach Yelatem glared at him again, even as the secretary walked out of the gym with an official air. He faced us again, this time with a look of loathing. "Well, as since Mr. Scors insists, you worm-eaters can have a break."

 And with that, he turned around and stomped his way into his office, slamming the door and pulling the curtains over the window.

 As I panted, I looked at Brad. "So this Mr. Scors is the secretary?"

 Brad nodded. "Yep. Last I heard, he became secretary shortly before Finn arrived," he gestured to Finn, who, being the strongest of the class, seemed less desperate for water and air than everyone else.

 But not that much.

  "That was nice of Mr. Scors to do what he did," I noticed.

 Brad shook his head. "I don't know," he replied. "It MIGHT seem that way, but the only people who are sympathetic to us is Ms. Trexdis, as you already know, and the nurse. Scors just kind of sees us as property he has to keep in good condition." 

 I nodded, too used to this to be disappointed. "So what do you think Mr. Scors meant by the 'dreams' when he was threatening Coach Yelatem?"

 Brad shrugged. "He said to say good-bye to a good night's sleep if he harmed us and Mr. Draik found out, so I guess Draik gives the teachers who disobey him nightmares?"

  "Really bad ones, judging by Mr. Yelatem's reaction,"

 Brad and I looked up to see Gene coming in, sitting by us.

 Brad glared at him. "Where were you when we were making our arms fall off?"

 Gene shrugged. "Would you want to spend time with Mr. Metallicus?"

 Brad shut up.

  "So this is how Mr. Draik keeps the teachers in line? Not by firing them?" I asked, wary of Gene.

  "Probably." Brad agreed.

 With nothing else to talk about, we sat down, slowly relaxing, grateful more for Mr. Scors' obligations than the guy himself.

 Finally, by the time our break was done, Coach Yelatem suddenly stomped out of his office. This time, he was a lot calmer (but still mad- since he always was).

  "WELL, THEN, AS SINCE THE BREAK'S OVER, IT'S TIME FOR DODGEBALL!!!!!" Coach Yelatem roared eagerly.

 I hated dodgeball. I had bad aim, so I rarely even hit someone in the game. And most of the times when my ball went in contact with someone, they caught it and got me out. Plus, whenever someone on my team caught someone's ball, I'd always be the last to be picked, besides a few kids.

 I suddenly remembered it was my birthday. I wonder....

  "Uh, Coach Yelatem, Sir, is it okay if I just sit back and watch?" I asked.

 Coach Yelatem whipped around and gave me a murderous look. "AND WHY!?!?" he roared.

  "Because.... it's my birthday?"

 Coach Yelatem suddenly stopped, going rigid.

  "Y-your birthday?"

  "Yes."

 He seemed suddenly shy about the subject. "Oh, ah, well, your birthday..." he muttered, fiddling with his fingers. "A birthday....."

 Yelatem quickly cleared his throat and retained his brutal air. "FINE!" he roared. "BUT THIS IS THE ONLY EXCEPTION!!!!!" 

 Everyone gaped.

 Even I was surprised! Coach Yelatem seemed like the guy who'd give workouts and push-ups galore for your birthday!

 And he seemed almost.... SAD when I mentioned mine! I wondered if there was a lot in his past that had to do with birthdays....

 Suddenly, Diablo Sanchez raised his hand. "It's _my_ birthday, too-"

  "I know you're LYING!!!" Coach Yelatem roared, his face going red.

 Diablo, with his plan in total failure, stopped talking.

 Coach Yelatem scanned all of us. "Okay, class, minus Mr. Garmadon," he added, glaring at me. "You know the rules of dodgeball. You hit someone with the ball, they're out. They catch it before it hits the floor, YOU'RE out. You catch a ball, you send someone in of your choice. Got it?"

 Everyone nodded.

  "OKAY, EVERYONE INTO TEAMS!" Coach Yelatem shouted, eyeing us impatiently.

 Almost immediately, Gene and Finn stood up.

  "I get to lead team 1," Finn announced, while Gene replied, "Then I'll lead team 2."

 Everyone seemed to go with that. I noticed that Finn and Gene seemed to be the leaders of the class; Finn being the strongest and tallest with awesome super powers, and Gene being the smartest with the teachers' favor.

 My class was quickly divided into teams, while I just sat there and watched, embarrassed and already regretting my request.

 Luckily, while there was an odd number of students in my class, including me, with me out of the game, there was an even number. Based on what I saw, Brad, Francis, and Diablo Sanchez were on Finn's team, while Richie and Terrence were on Gene's team. The rest of the class had been equally divided, and the two teams went on both sides of the gym.

 Coach Yelatem took out a dirty, dark blue plastic tub filled to the brim with red, rubber dodgeballs, and spilled the contents onto the floor. He then took out a dirty, silver whistle with a fancy, curvy M on it, and blew into it.

  " _EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!_ "


	11. Was it with a K or a C?

 Both sides surged towards the dodgeballs like huge floods. Two unlucky kids went totally reckless, going to the frontline and grabbed several dodgeballs; only for several red, masses of rubber to crash into them, thrown by Finn.

 There was a huge scuffle as everyone wrestled for a ball, many of them getting hit by one.

 At one point, Diablo Sanchez dove for a dodgeball, only for Terrence to grab it. "NO! PLEASE!" Diablo screamed, on his knees, looking up, even as Terrence unleashed his fury in the form of one dirty, stinky, rubber ball.

 Eventually, both sides separated and backed away, cautious and armed with lethal dodgeballs.

 Gene quickly snapped his fingers, and everyone on his team formed into several pairs. In each pair, one person was in front of the other, empty-handed, with their hands poised to catch a dodgeball. The person behind them held an actual dodgeball, shielded by the other student.

 I had to admit; I was impressed! I had always thought it'd be cool to add actual strategy to dodgeball, so it'd be easier to survive, but I never got the chance!

 Before I knew it, Finn's team was getting obliterated. People were getting bombarded by dirty, smelly, red rubber, and everytime someone threw a ball, it'd get caught and they'd get taken out.

 It was the rubber balls of doom.

 Finally, by the time Gene's team used up all of their dodgeballs, only one person was left on the opposing team;

 It was Finn himself.

 Now, being alone, with the other team at full numbers, he was naturally doomed. However, Finn had all the dodgeballs on his side of the court, and as all bullies should have, he had terrifying aim.

 He instantly grabbed one and launched it at Richie. Before he knew it, Richie was sprawled out onto the floor, a dazed look in his eyes, with a dodgeball rolling away from him.

  "Ouch," he muttered, even as Finn loaded his arms with several rubber balls of doom.

 Finn began taking relish as he threw every dodgeball he had at Gene's team, even as they were distracted by Richie's recent defeat.

 Student after student were pummeled until only about 12 remained. Several students grabbed and threw the balls Finn had thrown at them, only for him to catch most of them. Even as he did, he motioned towards the more stronger-looking kids on his team, such as Francis, and began pummeling more students.

 As both teams began to lose all strategy in the confusion and began randomly throwing balls everywhere, my mind began to drift back to several questions I had;

 

  1. Why were all the teachers so freakish? Mr. Frared looked like he was torn off a page in a horror novel. Metallicus and Mr. Scors both walked around in some weird suit of armor like Iron Man, Ms. Trexdis was invisible, Ms. Arakchos was a cyborg, Coach Yelatem was gray, and Mr. Draik was some sort of shape-shifting bat monster.


  1. How come this school had tech Ninjago doesn't already have?


  1. Why are the words, 'The hollow shell' written all over Metallicus' wall?


  1. What was The Stuff?


  1. What was the specimen? (I don't think that's a very major question, but oh well)


  1. How am I supposed to use the magic encyclopedia Mr. Draik made?


  1. And most important of all, WHERE is my mom, and why hasn't she revealed herself to me?



 

 As I began comtemplating my questions, I made up my own answers;

 

  1. Yelatem, Frared, Mr. Draik, and Trexdis had an accident at a nuclear power plant, Ms. Arakchos is really smart and got into an 'incident', and Metallicus and Scors had a little trouble on Mustafar (either that, or both are just really ugly by default).


  1. See 1. 


  1. Senseless graffiti?


  1. Well, I always knew cafeteria food was evil...


  1. It's obvious.


  1. Use the same method Harry Potter did with Voldemort's (heh-heh) diary?


  1. No idea!



 

 I had to admit, I was pretty impressed by my theories (or maybe they were really bad, and I thought they were good because I made them).

  "EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 I let out a jolt of surprise. Coach Yelatem lowered his whistle. "CLASS. IS. OVER!!!!!" he roared.

 Everyone still out on the gym floor cheered, earning looks of chagrin from Coach Yelatem.

 Suddenly, somewhere outside of the gym, a bell rung.

 I suddenly grinned. School must've been over for the day!

 I stood up and followed my classmates as Coach Yelatem muttered, "Have a good day, kids," in a mutinous fashion.

 I caught up to Brad, who was sweating heavily.

  "That was fun," I said. He glared at me, and I remembered how I 'chickened' out of gym (or P.E.) class.

 Nonetheless, he shrugged. "You know, Lloyd, I've noticed all of the teachers, except for Metallicus, seem to favor you," he admitted.

  "Yeah," I agreed. "It's cool. Also, where are we gonna go now?"

 Brad grinned. "The school day's over," he explained. "So we're going back to the dorms!"

 Once more, I followed everyone back to the lockers. As I opened mine up and sloppily shoved my stuff inside, I noticed the pencil case with my new pet worm inside. I took it out of the locker before slamming it shut.

  "Hey, Brad," I said, showing my pet worm. "What do you think I should name him?"

 As Brad thought about it, Gene went over. "I'd name him after the inventor of pencils," he replied. "Considering his origin and all,"

 I nodded, still wary of Gene. "George Krumm, then," I decided (I _think_ it was spelled like that...).

 Brad and Gene stared.

  "That guy invented the potato chip, not the pencil!" Gene corrected, rolling his eyes. Brad tried to contain a laugh. "I can already imagine Metallicus' reaction," he said, attempting to make a pretty bad copy of Metallicus' voice. "I find your lack of historical knowledge disturbing."

 I grinned and high-fived Brad. "Nice one!" I praised.

 Even Gene smiled, but I figured that was because that really DID sound like something Metallicus would say.

 Brad shrugged. "I'm like a genius," he replied, much to Gene's slight annoyance.

  "So, we should go to the dorms now," I pointed out. Nodding, the three of us joined the others as we began climbing up a spiral staircase. Finally, we stopped when we went to a door.

 Above it was a highly decorated golden plaque (at least I _think_ it was gold- but if it was, Draik should know better. Any of us wouldn't hesitate to steal it). On it were seven miniature triangular golden rocks sticking out at different angles with different symbols on them, around the name, 'Frared'.

  "Cool," I said.

 Finn, being the leader and all, stepped forward, and grabbed the doorknob, before opening the door. We all eagerly flooded inside.

 The inside of the dorm was pretty fancy. It was round, and the center was lowered into the floor, with stairs stretching all around the lowered circle. In the circle was a dark, wooden table, with a silver bowl filled with all sorts of fruits, some recognizable, others alien. I even saw a yellow fruit shaped like a star! There were wooden chairs placed about the room, with pillows over them, and portraits of different, strange people; and by strange, I meant that some weren't even human (I even saw Draik)!

 Around the entire room were an assortment of wooden doors, each with a small number of names on them.

 As everyone began flooding into the room, jumping into chairs and grabbing fruit from the bowl, I looked at Brad.

  "Where do I sleep?"

 Brad pointed at one of the doors. There were four names on it;

 

**Brad Tudabone**

**Richard Richard**

**Francis Lustein**

**Lloyd Garmadon**

 

  "Wait," I asked. "Did they add my name recently?"

 Brad nodded. "Probably while we were in class, in fact!"

 I shrugged. "I think I'll relax for a bit on my bed," I replied. Brad waved his hand. "See you later," he said, walking off.

 With nothing else to do, I went over to the door. It opened easily, and I went inside.

 It was a decently-sized room, with a bunkbed on each side. There was a window, with maroon curtains, and a desk beneath it.

 On the bunkbeds, over each sea-blue matress, was a dark red blanket. Three of the beds had different objects on them. Just by looking at them, I could tell which one belonged to who;

 

Bed 1: Tissues dumped messily around, with a technically unidentified, but still obvious, vile substance inside.

Bed 2: Weird cases of putty, along with toy-spiders, hand-buzzers, and invisible ink pens.

Bed 3: Piggy Banks, Cow Banks, stolen wallets, and a book about the economy under the blanket.

 

 I stared at the last bed. It was below Bed #3, and empty. Bed #2 was above Bed #1, on the right-hand side.

 Tired and exhausted, I set George Krumm beneath my bed, as since worms liked the dark, and literally dumped myself onto the bed and groaned.

  _What a day,_ I thought.

 So much stuff happened to me over just a few hours or so; The Stuff, robots, mutant megalomaniacal teachers, learning about my parents, gym (or P.E.), making new friends, finding out that the biggest bully happened to be some mutant that could turn dead matter into bugs, getting lost in the halls, getting kidnapped, a skeleton, almost drowning, that stuff.

 I then realized something; the day was over!

 My crazy adventure, meeting teachers and evil stuff and getting lost, it was all OVER!

 Relaxation!

 I let out a sigh of relief and tried to sink into my bed like most people do. No such luck. My matress was rock hard.

 I reached under my bed and pulled out the pencil case, and opened it up.

 George Krumm looked back at me.

  "George Krumm," I mused. "The day is over."


	12. My Grandfather accidentally caused two wars

 I closed the pencil case, and putting it under my arm, got off the bed and walked outside. I still had a few questions...

 In the main room of the dorm, everyone was clowning around, while a few kids, including Finn, rested leisurely, snacking on a banana or two.

 I eventually found Brad writing, "Sushi is the color of-" on the wall in permanent marker before I interrupted him.

  "Hey, Brad? I have a few questions." I asked.

 Brad stopped writing, and glared at me, a bit exasperated. "Yeah?"

  "Well, you see, I have to take care of George Krumm, but I don't know how to feed worms or take care of them, and I still want to know how to use that encyclopedia Mr. Frared gave me."

 Brad shrugged, before putting the cap on his marker. "Fine," he muttered.

 Richie walked by. "Hey, Lloyd, seeing as you're the son of, like, the Dark Lord and all, and my room mate, we should hang out!" he suggested.

  "Um.... sure?" I replied, a bit startled.

 Brad rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Right, so we should visit Frared about your little magic encyclopedia, and Ms. Arakchos should know a thing or two about pets."

 Richie stared at George Krumm for a moment, before we exited the dorm. 

 After getting my encyclopedia, we went to Mr. Frared's room. By the time we got there, it was empty, except for Spirius-1, who was spraying some chemical on some graffiti on the wall.

  "Hey, Spirius-1," I said casually. Spirius-1 stopped spraying the graffiti, looking at me. "Yes, Mr. Garmadon?"

  "Do you know where Mr. Frared is?" I asked.

  "He is in the Teacher's Lounge," Spirius-1 chirped, before going back to wiping away a pretty nasty swear word.

 Brad gaped. "The Teacher's Lounge?" he asked. "You mean, like, the place NO STUDENT has ever gone to -or seen the inside of- before?"

 Spirius-1 nodded subconsciously.

  "Cool!" Richie said.

  "Do you know where it is?" I asked. Brad nodded. 

 Richie and I followed Brad until we arrived at the floor below the top one.

 After walking by several pointless doors, we found the one we were looking for.

 Above it, in golden and diamond letters, was spelled, 'THE TEACHER'S LOUNGE'.

 But that wasn't even anywhere close to what caught our attention. The window was blurred, but we saw what looked like strobe lights and a disco inside.

 Just by putting our ears against the door, we could hear what sounded like some HUGE party; we could hear people laughing, eating pizza, dancing, that stuff.

 Suddenly, I wanted to open the door and peek inside. However, when I went towards the doorknob, Brad stopped me.

  "It's locked," he explained. "And indestructible. Draik demonstrated it by breaking a piece of diamond with it. The same goes with the door."

  "But, isn't diamond the hardest substance in the-"

  "Just ask the nurse, and you'll understand."

 Richie shrugged, and knocked on the door. "MR. FRARED!"

 A shadow filled the blurred window. "Yes, students?" Mr. Frared's voice called from inside. It sounded like he was smacking on some cheese, crackers, and pizza.

  "Well, Lloyd wants to know how to use the encyclopedia!" Richie yelled back.

  "Just open it and read, duh!"

  "I mean the magic one you gave him today!"

  "Oh! Well, you see, it's like Voldermort's -teehee- diary! You just write down your request, and words will just appear after your request fades away!"

  "Thanks!" Richie yelled. Nodding, Mr. Frared walked away, doing what looked like the plank (either that, or he was falling on his face. I never understood the difference).

 I looked at my new (or old, to be exact) encyclopedia. "Hey, Brad, do you have a pencil?"

 He nodded. "Invisible ink pen, but the magic ought to read it anyway."

  "Magic?!"

  "Just ask the nurse," he answered, exasperated, handing me a red pen filled to the brim with invisible ink. 

 I sat down on a nearby bench while Brad and Richie tried to listen to what was going on inside the teacher's lounge. I took a deep breath, opened up the encyclopedia, and wrote down, 'The Garmadon family'.

 I waited for a moment, watching as the invisible ink sank into the pages. Suddenly, the old, wrinkled brown pages of the encyclopedia began to fill with dark, distinct shapes that took the form of letters. Here's what it said;

 

CHAPTER 27: THE GARMADON FAMILY

 

 The Garmadon family is perhaps the smallest and most powerful family in all of history. Extremely little is known about the very first, Kin Garmadon, except that he created the continent of Ninjago, battled the Overlord, and created most of the wildlife of Ninjago, including, perhaps, the Serpentine species.

 Kin had shown himself as a very adept fighter, a true master of Spinjitzu, the most powerful martial arts in existence, and is currently the only being to have utilized the Golden Dragon fighting technique.

 He was also apparently very creative, having made all sorts of wonderous and fantastic flora and fauna. He may have possessed foresight, as since there have been rumors of scrolls filled with the future of this continent, and as since he foresaw his defeat by the Overlord, unless he split Ninjago (which he had).

 As mentioned earlier in the legend of Ninjago, Kin had discovered the Golden Peaks, and later on banished the Overlord. After this, he married a woman named Jasmine (?) during the great human colonization of Ninjago.

 Some time later, Kin had managed to create Elemental Ninja clans for eight of the Celestial Elements. Each member studied the martial arts and spinjitzu of their element. Soon enough, others had split off from these clans and discovered new elements from the original four, including metal, air, and water.

 Alas, the Elemental Clans were destined for a reign of terror. Corrupted, they became little more than lethal criminals, raiding villages and serpentine caravans. At first, things started out terrible, but then they escalated into full-on destruction.

 Due to his passiveness when the Elemental Clans became criminals, Kin, in the end, watched the fruit of his actions blossom into full-scale war.

 Initially, the conflicts started when the Clans began raiding each other for valuable materials. Angered, this led to a few skirmishes that escalated into war between the elemental clans.

 It was disastrous, culminating as the bloodiest war of Ninjago's history. Eventually, before the Elemental Clans could unleash their endgame, the Great Devourer, a horrific beast, went on a total rampage and destroyed several Clan fortresses. The Great Devourer was soon after subdued by Kin, who had finally taken action.

 The Great Devourer, trapped in a seething, ravenous state, Kin was entombed in the City of Ourbouros, and the five Serpentine tribes were forced to leave their home as Kin buried the city beneath the Sea of Sand (however, there had been rumors of an enormous, immortal serpent in the Sea of Sand several generations later).

 The Elemental Clans on the run and exiled, their crimes eventually came to a stop, and they finally disbanded. Very little is known about what became of their leaders. Years passed, and Ninjago moved past the Great Spinjitzu War. 

 Kin's reputation was tarnished, and it would only worsen during the Serpentine Wars; Or as they were known in the Serpentine tongue, The Nezkon War.

 After the imprisonment of the Great Devourer, the Serpentine tribes sough refuge amongst the humans, and over time, became the rulers of Ninjago, forging the first Serpentine Empire. However, the humans of Ninjago weren't at all very fine with the idea that the Serpentine were in charge, and demanded to be equal-class citizens.

 Despite attempting to appeal to their wishes, the Serpentine Empire's efforts were in vain. Soon enough, a skirmish caused by the humans against several serpentine soldiers prompted three of the tribes to declare war. It was because of this that the five tribes split.

 Kin, once more being passive, watched as war raged again. In the end, the humans discovered the terrible Sacred Flutes, and used them to defeat the Serpentine.

 It is here that Kin meets his end. Deciding he should at least take a side, he chose the humans, and along with an army of generals, they went and escorted the Serpentine to their tombs, with their locations shared only amongst this group.

 Shortly after, Kin disappeared.

 No one knows what happened to him, but he and the generals had disappeared, as did the serpentine tribes. Over time, the people of ninjago forgot of the Serpentine tribes and Kin, and soon enough, the Garmadons mysteriously disappeared from the global stage.

 Nevertheless, prior to his disappearance, Kin and his wife, Jasmine, had two children. The first was named Lee, and the other dubbed Wu.

 Lee and Wu, starting from a young age, became prodigal at swordsmanship, martial arts, spinjitzu, and strategy.

 Alas, disaster would befall the two. During Lee's childhood, he was bitten by the then-young Great Devourer. The Devourer's venom was devastating, as it had the power to permanently corrupt someone. 

 At first, Lee managed to hold in the evil of the venom, thanks to the power of his father, Kin. He grew up with Wu, the two becoming all-powerful warriors and masters of Spinjitzu.

 While Lee was strict, practical, and disciplined, Wu was reckless, laid-back, and casual. This made a fair balance, and together, the two never heard of an equal besides their father.

 The two fought against several supernatural threats and criminals, and were hailed as heroes. However, during the Nezkon War, the two were separated for the first time.

 Lee agreed that as since it was the humans who started the war, they shouldn't help them. Wu, however, believed that they should fight the Serpentine empire. That night, Wu snuck out, and helped the human rebellion in the war.

 Lee was, of course, enraged, and went to bring Wu home. However, after enormous debate, Lee finally agreed to help his brother fight the serpentine empire. When their father and others went to entomb the serpentine, Lee and Wu were left behind. Thus, they never found out what happened to their father, Montgomery.

 Later on, Lee finally married a woman by the name of Misako. The two had been childhood friends, and as the years progressed, so did their feelings for each other.

 Misako, too, was a prodigious fighter. She was rather bookish, and often looked into the future or the past for information. After she and Lee married, he taught her Spinjitzu, and she became a master at it.

 Their happiness was limited, of course. As Lee had grown over the years, so did the power of the Great Devourer's venom. In the end, it finally grasped Lee and fully corrupted him. Filled with a bitter lust for power, he attemped to steal the golden weapons, only for Wu to intervene.

 There was an earth-shattering battle, so great it caused chasms to form and split the mountain they were on in two. In the end, however, Wu won. 

 Nothing is known about the results of their battle, or how Lee, the Dark Lord, was vanquished, but what few witnesses there were claim to have seen a golden light come from the heavens and strike the battlefield of the brothers. Even then, these witnesses had been far away, so very few detail was mentioned.

 Misako, Wu, and Jasmine, in grief, disappeared for several millenia. As with every Garmadon, their blood has properties allowing them to age forever- not that they are immortal. They simply just can't die of age, that's all.

 The last reported sighting of any of these three has been declared classified by the master of the author of this book; Lord Draik, Principal of Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys.


	13. The Lunch Table is quarantined

 I continued to stare at the words, taking this all in.

  _My_ grandfather was one of the most POWERFUL beings in existance. My mom and dad were some of the greatest fighters ever. My uncle fought in a war, and-

 It was way too much for me to take in. I knew what was the last sighting; it was at this school, right here, where Draik made a deal with my mom.

 Still, I found myself wondering; What WAS this Great Devourer? And if it had never bitten my dad.... would I even be here? I imagined myself with my dad, mom, uncle, and grandma, at home, playing.

 I suddenly felt some sort of hunger; but not like you'd expect. I was full, but I wanted something; I wanted knowledge.

 But knowledge of what? This Darkley guy? The Great Devourer? The Elemental Clans?

 I shook my head, confused. I felt like thanking Mr. Frared; he was suddenly like a hero to me. He gave me this book, and I could read all about my family. It was like that last piece of family I never had.

 I closed it. I would read it later, I decided. But first, I had to feed George Krumm.

 As I stood up, I wondered if feeding George Krumm was just an excuse to let all this information sink in.  _Probably,_ I decided.

 

 By the time I got to Brad and Richie, they had already given up listening to the party inside.

  "So, Lloyd, how do you like being the grandson of Mr. Universe?" Brad asked, grinning.

 I nodded eagerly and began looking at my hands. "Maybe I DO have powers!" I grinned. I betted that I could've even made Finn, who was pretty much Mr. Evil-Nails, run for his mother!

  "Maybe your power is just making more of that stuff you made in the caf!" Richie suggested as the three of us began heading towards the science classroom.

 I nodded, calming down. "Still," I added. "I wonder where's my uncle, Mom, and grandma?"

 Brad stopped for a moment. "Don't get your hopes up too high," was all he said before he continued walking.

 Surprised by his answer, I said nothing. As a result, none of us did, and the rest of the trip remained silent.

 Finally, we arrived at the elevator leading to the science classroom. We were about to enter when a weird, mechanical eye suddenly extended from a hole above the elevator.

  "I'm sorry," it said in a typical robotic voice. "Ms. Arakchos is not excepting visitors."

  "But I just want to ask her a question about worms," I complained.

 The robo-eye stared at me for a bit, contemplating this, before suddenly disappearing in the hole.

 Suddenly, the elevator opened.

 Brad, Richie, and I looked at each other before shrugging and entering the elevator.

 The doors closed, and a few seconds passed before they opened again. Greeting us was Ms. Arakchos. Now, I know I told you how I was scared that I'd be her experiment, and you have to justify this after reading this chapter.

  "Ah, hello, my little projects- ah, _students_ ," she corrected carefully. She was carrying a scalpel in one hand, and her talons were dipped in some glowing, green, liquidy slime.

  "Uh..." I gurgled, terrified, staring at the scalpel. 

 Ms. Arakchos noticed her scalpel and quickly placed it on a nearby table. "My bad," she apologized, looking at me in a way I didn't like. "So, Mr. Garmadon, you want to learn about science?"

  "Uh... I just want to learn how to take care of a worm, to be specific," I replied.

 Ms. Arakchos nodded, a bit disappointed.

  "Well, follow me!" she replied, her legs tapping on the floor menacingly as they carried her to a shelf. The three of us followed, looking at all the weird things she had on her shelves.

  "Let's see.... aha!" She suddenly grabbed a small, plastic can with miniature holes poked into the lid. It was colored a faint, dirty yellow, and began getting covered with the slime on Ms. Arakchos' talons.

  "Just put some dirt into your pet's cage, or bowl, etc., and put him in. Then, everyday, just sprinkle these... _enzymes_... into the dirt during the morning. Oh, and also, you might want to water the dirt lightly every day, just for moisture."

 I stared at the green residue on the can. "Um... could you, uh..."

 Ms. Arakchos noticed the slime. "Oh, sorry, Mr. Garmadon," she replied. Her mechanical jaw opened, and a small panel poured water all over the can, making it relatively wet, but clean from the slime.

  "Thanks, Ms. Arakchos," I replied, cautiously grabbing the plastic can and stuffing it into my pocket. I winced as the cold water seeped through my pants.

 Ms. Arakchos looked at my pencil case eagerly. "So, what is his name?" she asked.

  "Uh... George Krumm?"

  "George Krumm," she repeated. She paused for a moment, before muttering, "GRG-KMM. That should do for a file name."

  "File name...?"

 She quickly shook her head. "I was going to name a file on subterranean creatures, and 'George Krumm' seemed like a good inspiration."

 I was 99.9% sure she was lying, but I wanted to get out.

  "Bye!" I yelled. Richie, Brad, and I quickly scurried into the elevator, glad to get out of the classroom. 

 We then went to the first floor, before going outside. I shoveled some dirt into George Krumm's pencil case, and then, reluctantly, took out the plastic can.

 Brad stared at me. "You're gonna use it?"

  "Yeah."

 Richie nodded. "I respect ya for you're bravery and all, but this is a pretty bad -and optional- idea."

 I ignored him as I opened up the can. It had strange, brown flakes inside, like fish food. I ground up a few of them and sprinkled it in the dirt, before mixing it up.

 George Krumm seemed to dig into the dirt with relish. I could tell he liked it, which was a good sign.

 I stood up. "Time to go," I announced, and the three of us walked back inside.

 By the time we got back to the classroom, it was already 5:30.

  "Dinner's at six," Brad told me as we entered the dorm.

 I nodded. "Thanks, Brad. See ya at dinner."

 Brad shrugged. "See ya." And with that, he left.

 Richie stared at the plastic can in my pocket. "Waddya think those enzymes do?" he asked.

  "I don't know...." I replied. At first, I was tempted to throw them away, but I thought against it. I mean, it's not like they would harm ME; George Krumm was eating them. Besides, it's not like the 'enzymes' would turn him into an evil, intelligent insect thingy that wanted to take over the world! Plus, Ms. Arakchos, even if she DID plan to turn George into a mutant, she'd have to be concerned about what'd happen to me; based on what Mr. Scors said, Draik deals out pretty nasty punishments.

 Richie shrugged. "Well, I gotta do somethin' with Francis. Wants to pull a prank, that thin'. See ya later!" And he too left me.

 I nodded, and went back into my room. The dirt was pretty moist, so I'd water it later. I put George Krumm under my bed, and wiped my dirty hands on the floor underneath it.

 I took out my encyclopedia. I thought about going to my locker for a pen, but I was too exhausted. Instead, I tried to take a nap.

 

 Of course, by the time I did fall asleep, a bell rang.

 I Instantly sat up straight, surprised, and banged my head against the top of the bunk bed. I winced in pain, cursing myself, as the agony rang through my forehead like the sound of the bell.

 Getting off of the bed, I walked outside. Everyone was already leaving for dinner. I followed them, rubbing my forehead until the pain finally wore off.

 We arrived at the cafeteria and shuffled inside. I looked at the balcony, and outside I could tell it was night time.

 As normal, I grabbed some milk and placed it on my tray and slowly piled cafeteria food onto it. I absorbed what had changed since I last arrived into my memory.

 At one table, there was a huge, orange tent, with radioactive symbols on it, and yellow tape with 'WARNING' on it surrounded the tent. Several machines, which looked just like Spirius-1 but with several gadget-like contraptions attached to a web of limbs on their backs, scurried in and out. The orange tent covered one of the tables, the one where The Stuff attacked.

 Also, in one corner, was the round, large table, the teacher's table. I could see all the teachers there; Metallicus, Ms. Arakchos, Ms. Trexdis, Coach Yelatem, Mr. Frared, and Mr. Scors. They were all eating at their tables, except for Metallicus. Ms. Arakchos, being some cyborg and all, had some jar filled with orange-tan, sludgy stuff. A hose attached to it was plugged into a socket in her back, so I could tell it was her way of 'eating'. Mr. Scors did a similair thing, except the small hose was plugged onto his mask where his mouth should've been.

 As for Metallicus, he wasn't eating anything, to tell the truth. He just sat there, reading this book that had, 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' on the top of the cover.

 Finally, I went to the cashier who scanned the contents of my tray. I noticed that Spirius-3 was okay now, and he glared at me pointedly. 

 Finn, Gene, Brad, Francis, Diablo, Richie, Terrence, and I walked over to a table and sat down to eat.

  "So, what do you think The Stuff can do?" I asked, deciding to make some conversation. "Besides infecting stuff."

 Gene nodded. "Based on what I saw, it appears that the unknown substance had the ability to deteriorate objects in mere seconds-"

  "Speak english, will ya?" Terrence interrupted, exasperated.

 Gene glared at him. "Basically, it can make stuff rot quickly."

  "Ah."

  "Still, I wonder if the encyclopedia Mr. Frared gave me might have some clues about The Stuff," I wondered aloud. Richie nodded in agreement. "Lloyd figured out how to use it," he explained.

 Suddenly, there was a flutter of wings from above. Everyone looked up to see Draik; this time, in his hideous bat form. His wings carried him to an empty seat at the teacher's table, right between Metallicus and Mr. Scors.

 However, instead of sitting down, he stood up. In his hand was a golden goblet filled with some pink liquid.

  "Good afternoon, my students!" he yelled, adressing all of us. Everyone bowed, so I followed suit.

 Draik gave a terrible smile. "As you can see, you may have now learnt of Mr. Garmadon's ancestry, I believe!" Everyone nodded, murmuring.

 Draik grinned. "As you know, today is his birthday! So, we must celebrate with desserts and gifts!"

 Everyone cheered; mostly for the cake, of course.

   "Anyways," Draik continued. "As you all know, Lloyd here is the last of the Garmadons. No one knows where the others are, and thus, he is like the sole survivor!"

 I didn't like the words, 'sole survivor'.

  "He was a gift, as Metallicus may have revealed to you, by Misako Garmadon! Thus, the eight of us intend to forge with this child a new Dark Lord, just like his father!"

 Suddenly, I went pale. I knew it was a figure of speech when Draik said 'forge', but I couldn't help but glance at Ms. Arakchos. 

  "Thus," Draik continued, and suddenly he adopted a savage, ruthless expression. "If ANY of you harm him, the consequences will be irreversible...."

 For a moment, the whole cafeteria was silent, except for the Spirius drones scuttling in and out of the orange tent. Finally, Draik took on a more cheerful aura. "Nonetheless, after this dinner and dessert, we shall go to the auditorium and begin to celebrate Mr. Garmadon's brithday!"

 Everyone cheered, but it was more of a suggestion than a voluntary one; based on what I saw, Draik was just as ruthless as Metallicus. And if we were talking about an equal to Metallicus' savageness, then it was only my potential that kept Draik from tossing me to Ms. Arakchos as a casual gift!

 I glanced at Trexdis. I realized her concern for me, and with growing horror; I was like some sort of project for Draik, to see if he could grow me into a loyal, all-powerful Dark Lord that he might even use to take over the three countries that made up Ninjago; Terris, Coemix, and Daerhan. Thus, if I proved to be an ordinary child, who lacked the smarts of Gene or the insect-ish venom of Finn's, then.... I wasn't sure what would happen, but I was afraid. And with good reason.

 We continued to eat in silence. Finally, Finn spoke up.

  "So, Lloyd, what do you think of my proposition?"

  "Your propo- _what?_ "

  "Proposition means offer," Gene explained. Finn nodded. "The one about being the top bullies of this school!"

 I remembered about it, and began mulling it over. If Finn was my 'ally', then that meant that he might sort of 'protect' me at times. On the other hand, being the son of the Dark Lord, and considering Draik's threat, I might not need to worry. And I doubted I'd make a good bully, too.

  "Uh... no thanks," I replied. "I'd rather spend my energy in other... activities."

  "What's wrong, Lloyd?" Diablo asked. Everyone seemed to notice the change in my mood.

  "Uh.... nothing," I muttered. "It's just that, technically speaking, if I'm not what Draik expects me to be in the next four or five years, he'll probably kick me out or something."

 Gene nodded. "Which is why you should focus on schoolwork!" he pointed out.

 Finn shrugged. "Well, you don't have to be a master at EVERY subject. Draik focuses mainly on science and history. He doesn't care much for math or reading. And you don't have to be the best at THIS gym; just a pretty good score for the AVERAGE gym," he explained.

 I nodded. "Right. Science. History. And part-time at gym."

 I also noticed that Brad seemed to give me a long, evaluating look. Finally, he added, "Plus, it might be good to take Finn's offer. To tell you the truth, it doesn't matter if you're good at these subjects, because if you turn out to be a goody-goody, then you might as well become a hero and stop Draik instead."

 Finn grinned at Brad's suggestion. "Which is why we should arrange a partnership!"

  "Uh.... no thanks," I muttered. I was thinking about Brad's words, and despite my young age, it made a lot of sense. With the right brains and strength, the only thing that made people into supervillains and heroes was personality and/or possibly revenge, in a villain's case.

 But, to tell the truth, I wasn't that much of a bully or anything like that. Really, I was a bit too innocent, I guess. Maybe at times a smart aleck, but that was about it. I didn't have a taste for brute force like Coach Yelatem, a sadistic mind like Ms. Arakchos, and I was NOTHING like Metallicus. At best, I was most similar to Trexdis, who seemed the least dedicated to teaching us evil.

 I shook it off. I was still young, and I had plenty of time to grow and get used to these things. Besides, maybe I SHOULD make a 'partnership' with Finn.

 I decided to think about it later when Spirius-3 came in with the dessert cart, showing off cakes and pie.


	14. A Skeleton and the Dark Lord get sassy at each other

 After getting dessert (pumpkin pie, coconut cake, and neapolitan ice cream), the rest of us ate until the end of dinner.

 Draik stood up as dinner ended. "STUDENTS!" he yelled, once more adressing the crowd. "It is time to go to the auditorium!"

 Everyone stood up as they put the rest of their trash away, and began following Draik and the teachers. We eventually arrived at the auditorium, and as everyone sat into their seats, Draik and the other teachers got onto the platform.

 Draik smiled as he saw all of us, imagining us as evil, ruthless villains and criminal masterminds, all under his command and completely loyal. Once more, his form shifted and stretched before he turned into his human form.

  "Students, as we know, there was an incident at the cafeteria!" he announced. Everyone murmured, interested.

  "I will not lie to you," Draik admitted. "You see, thanks to the lovely Ms. Arakchos-" he gestured to Ms. Arakchos, who bowed. "-we have identified several properties of this substance!"

 Everyone leaned forward, anticipating the answer to The Stuff.

  "Apparently, it has the ability to rapidly deteriorate matter in mere seconds!" Draik explained. "It is also like a virus; it appears to infect the deteriorated matter, causing it to undergo a metamorphosis into the strange substance! Alas, however, Ms. Arakchos has discovered that this substance is supposedly unstable! It seems to have TWO DNA structures that do not go along with each other!"

 There was a bunch of talking amongst us. For the first time, they were interested in something scientific.

  "The first seems to belong to that of the substance!" Draik continued. "The second belongs to a certain character.... whom we will NOT identify!"

 Everyone groaned, but I began getting ideas in my head. Was MY DNA the second part? And whose was the second person's?

 Brad leaned towards me. "It's obvious you make up the first DNA," he whispered. "That I bet. As for the second person.... your mom, maybe? I don't know."

 I nodded. That was the best idea, I guess.

 Draik smiled as everyone began murmuring amongst themselves. "I have satisified some of your hunger for knowledge!" he yelled. "But remember; in order to gain knowledge, you must take it from the mind of the man who has it!"

 Metallicus suddenly stepped forward. "Also," he added, with a slight snarl. "Mr. Draik here wants to help welcome Lloyd to this school! How about we introduce him a bit?"

 Draik seemed a bit surprised by this, and I seethed in anger; Metallicus was lying. He just wanted to have me embarrassed, I bet.

 Nonetheless, Draik quickly resumed his air of authority in two seconds. "Of course," he continued. "In fact, how about we show you the meaning of power, Mr Garmadon? Mr. Ayabbers, please come forward!"

 Finn grinned as he climbed onto the platform. Spirius-2 and 3 came in, bringing in a desk.

  "As you may know, Mr. Garmadon," Draik explained self-importantly. "Mr. Ayabbers is the son of a man who believed himself able to wield great power... _the fool_. In the end, he was turned into a creature with mutating venom, and passed on that trait to his son,"

 Finn bowed, and to demonstrate, walked towards the desk.

 Now, I know I didn't bring in much detail of the insect process, because I was too shocked. But here's the thing in full detail, now;

 Something came from below each of his fingernails (it looked like a needle of some sort), even as he scratched the desk. Long scratch marks were left, and before my eyes, lumps began to form as the wood darkened, and soon enough, a huge chunk of the desk turned into a swarm of cockroaches that skittered away. I couldn't help yelping; I was too scared.

 Everyone laughed, but noticing Draik's venomous look, went quiet.

 Metallicus, however, seemed to find it amusing the way I shrieked. Of course, he did it behind Draik's back; he wasn't that stupid.

 I wished he was.

 Draik smiled at Finn. "Once again you fail to disappoint me," he said. "You may return to your seat Mr. Ayabbers."

 Finn bowed, grinning, before returning to his seat.

  "Now, then, Mr. Garmadon," Draik said, facing me. "How was your birthday?" His lips curled in a vicious smile.

  "Uh... good, besides gym," I muttered.

 Coach Yelatem shook in his sneakers as he turned a violent red, while everyone laughed at him. Draik smiled, glancing at Yelatem.

  "Yes, perhaps the exercises are rather extreme," he replied dryly.

  "My generation wouldn't have minded," Coach Yelatem muttered. Mr. Scors snorted at this, rolling his eyes.

  "Well, I do believe that it is curfew, Mr. Draik!" Metallicus pointed out. Draik nodded. "Remember, everyone!" he yelled, adressing the crowd. "Mr. Garmadon is under my protection! And unless I think it should somehow do him good, there will be no physical harm to him!"

 Everyone groaned silently. Already, I could tell I was losing their respect, due to the way I shrieked. I did a mental groan; I might lose the friends I just got.

 I began to follow, but Draik grabbed my shoulder. He bent towards me and whispered into my ear, "You better impress me."

 He instantly morphed into his bat form and snarled, before fluttering to the top of the auditorium and disappearing into the darkness.

  "That went well," Metallicus muttered dryly. Trexdis eyed me with pity; Coach Yelatem eyed me with contempt. "I suppose we should discuss the substance," Ms. Arakchos added, glancing at me. Mr. Scors and Frared just watched me, too, and before I knew it, they all shrugged and left me behind, making me feel more lonely than I ever had before.

 I shook my head, feeling confused. I now had to deal with becoming Draik's star student in a few years. That, and my head was still buzzing with questions; what was the second patch of DNA, what happened to the rest of my family, where was the Great Devourer, and-

  _Why did the Metal Clan sound so familiar?!_

 It was a question I hadn't thought of until now. After reading about the Elemental Clans, I realized that there was also the element metal so there'd have to be a Metal Clan.

 I hoped it was nothing, really, and just some ancestral instinct from being the grandson of Kin. Yawning, I realized I was tired; more tired than I ever had been.

 I climbed off of the platform and found my way back to the dorm. By the time I arrived, everyone was asleep...

 Yeah, right.

 In reality, everyone was swarming around in the dorm, doing their ordinary stuff. I shrugged, and walked into my room.

 Richie and Francis were in their beds. Richie was reading his book, and Francis was off snoring in dream land. Richie was wearing light-green pajamas with dollar bill designs over it, and Francis was still in his school uniform.

  "Where's Brad?" I asked, noticing his absence. I felt like talking to him; I had to admit, but he was so far my closest friend.

 Richie shrugged. "He might've went outside," he muttered. He glanced at me. "Oh, Lloyd, by the way, do you happen to have change?"

 I shook my head. I noticed that there were some pajamas on my bed; one long-sleeved, blue shirt, and dark green plaid cotton pants.

 I yawned, and went outside to the bathroom in the dorm. I opened it, and walked inside.

 It was your typical school bathroom. It had wet, slick floors, paper everywhere, soap, most of the toilets were ice-cold, and the toilet paper was like sandpaper.

 I went into a stall and changed into my pajamas. They felt comfortable. I then left, and entered my room.

 By the time I got back, Brad was in the room, and Richie was asleep. He was still in his school uniform, and his hands were suspiciously dirty (at that time I wondered if he had buried something).

  "Hey, Lloyd," he muttered. "Nice to see ya."

  "Hi," I muttered, tired. I climbed into bed, shoving my school uniform underneath it. "Turn off the lights, will ya?"

 Brad nodded, walking over to the switch. He turned off the light, and it instantly went dark.

 I don't know about you, but I've always hated it when you've got no night light, and you turn off the lights when it's dark. It was as if the world instantly plunged into black water, and it felt like the darkness was all around me. I still _liked_ the dark, but the change could be... jarring. 

 I closed my eyes, trying to shake off my fear. I heard Brad get into his bed.

 For several minutes, nothing happened. I tried to go to sleep, but I was wide awake. An hour must've passed before I slowly fell into dream land.

 As my mind went blank, something happened.

 All of a sudden, the world brightened up; but only a little. It was still practically pitch-black.

 I found myself in a room. Well, I wasn't _in_ it, but it felt like it.

 The room was above an enormous pit of boiling magma, with steam rising from above. The room had circular walls made of obsidian. In the middle of the lava pit was an enormous, massive island of stone floating high above the magma. At the end of the room, attached to the island by a bridge made of bone, was a throne.

 The throne was made out of stone and a metal, which might've been destonium (a metal that's vulnerable only to extreme heat). It had four armrests, and it loomed over me like some giant.

 A shadow was cast onto the person on the throne. I couldn't see his face, but I could see two large, baseball-sized eyes, glowing a crimson color, and filled with cruelty and spite. The eyes stared right through me, as if I didn't exist.

 The rest of the body, however, was exposed by what dim light radiated from the magma. The being looked like a huge skeleton, a head taller than Draik in his bat form, with four snow-white, thick arms tipped with serrated talons at the end. Its chest was covered in bulky, segmented armor, the color of tar, with an insignia on the chest. The insignia was a skull, with a long crack running down the forehead. He wore a scarlet, tattered loincloth, and had armor covering his legs from the knees down to the claws on his feet.

 He hissed in anger. "You are naive," he sneered, his eyes tearing right through me.

 I looked around, and saw the rest of the room. On the other side of the rock island was a bridge made of bone that connected it to a tunnel entrance. Standing at the entrance, cloaked in the darkness, must've been the person he was talking to.

 The other person merely chuckled, and I could've screamed.

 His voice was practically a hollow wind, with no hint of emotion at all. The voice would've went well with a handsome, rich man; if he was evil, cruel, and sadistic, too. His voice terrified me more than anything else, more than the skeleton, or Draik. He made Metallicus look like a cute little puppy! It was filled with pure evil, with not a single care for anything in the world, and at the same time bitter.

 And yet.... something was wrong. There seemed to be something... _familiar_. As I dug through the depths of his awful voice, I found something. It was the slightest, barest hint of... I really didn't know. But just listening to that piece of something... despite all logic, it made me feel... at _home_.

  "You underestimate timing, Samukai," he retorted.

 Samukai (the four-armed being, I supposed) snorted. "I believe in caution, believe me. How then could I have won so many battles against the Phantoms? But even then, I would not wait these many years... our warriors.... _my_ warriors do not need your plan, or your free reign for that matter." 

 The other being chuckled softly. "Oh, then why do you let me roam as I please? Why not just toss me into the darkest corners of the Under World?" he challenged. "To be like a pet to keep you companionship; please, you have all the souls of the most fairest maidens in this universe. Curiosity? Come on, Samukai; we all know what killed the cat."

 Samukai glared at him, and suddenly, the room began to shudder. Cracks began swarming all over the rock island I stood on. I tried to get away, but I couldn't move. With terror, I realized something;

 Samukai was getting ready for a temper tantrum.

  "Ooh! I know!" the other being said sarcastically. With a sneering finality, he leaned forward and hissed, " _Fear_."

 For a moment, the rock island shuddered and shook violently, like a maraca. The bone bridges groaned and snapped, before plunging into the magma and burning up instantly. Several chunks of island snapped off and landed in the pit of molten lava, melting in the heat.

  "Oh, what a jest!" the other being sneered, laughing. "You, the great Samukai, fear me?!"

 For a moment, the rock island I stood on trembled. Even though this was just a dream, I feared falling into the magma.

 And, suddenly, Samukai calmed down. And to my shock, a gleam of smugness crossed his eyes.

  "You jest about fear," he retorted. "You think yourself above fear, yet those who do are below it. Fear is a human emotion; and it is emotion all immortals should have, too. Fear gives reason, lets others be rational. It keeps ill-tempered senators and politicians from saying the wrong thing. There is no such thing as a being without fear; if there was, then they'd be too stupid to know of it. There is no such thing as a _truly_ brave person... and if there were, they wouldn't have lasted long enough for anyone to notice."

 For a moment, the other being just stood there, before suddenly clapping.

  "Bravo!" he yelled sarcastically. "The King of this Realm has performed a literary work! Bravo! For Shakespeare!"

 Samukai merely scoffed. "Then I may have more artistic genius and knowledge in my pinkie than you do in your entire brain," he retorted. "But we are missing the point; fear has helped me be rational. It made my descisions to be the wiser. And let's think; you fear not tempering me. And thus, you think of giving me offense... without thinking about the consequences of a certain... child."

 For a moment, the other being just stared.

 And then he raged.

   "YOU WILL NOT _DARE_ HARM HIM, YOU INCOMPETENT FOOL!!" he roared.

 Samukai merely chuckled. "Face it; even you, the supposed Dark Lord, can not slow my forces down. If I pleased to, I could send in the most terrifiying specters to capture your child. But I do not, because fear makes me rational."

 He suddenly leaned forward, and I saw the most grotesque face I could ever imagine.

  His head was only a skull, with his two blazing eyes. But his skull was huge, grotesque, with the most disgusting, elongated features. Fangs dotted his jaws, and he snarled eagerly.

  "And yet now you know fear once more!" he taunted. "You fear for a child, which makes one wonder; are you _really_ the Dark Lord, the specter of evil, the captain of chaos, he who grinds his heel on light?!"

 The other being snarled in response. "But you are lying; you believe me to be the Dark Lord, you do!" he hissed. "That is why you do not send in your most lethal troops; if the Green Ninja is the only one to beat me, then I will always remain on top! I could beat you for the third time and crown myself!"

  "And yet you don't!" Samukai replied sarcastically. "Because you know that even the greatest fighter can be trapped; you do not know the ways of traveling the dimensions like the Skulkin or dragons and many others, and so we could trick you then and there!"

 And suddenly, with malice, he narrowed his eyes. The island cracked, and to my terror, I couldn't scream or move as I fell into the lava.


	15. Ants in my Pants (And everywhere else)

 I nearly choked on the pain. I felt my body flaming up, and I could feel my skin tingling from the heat.

  _This doesn't even make sense!_ I thought as I began sinking. _This is only a dr-_

 And suddenly, the world went black.

 I felt something swarming around me, and I felt burning, agonizing stings.

 Well, when you wake up in the middle of the night, with something all around you and in pain, it's natural to do one thing;

  " _AAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!_ "

  "AAAAAGGGHH!!!!!"

  " _EEEEEEEKKKKKK!!!!!_ "

  "AAAAGGGHHHH- _CHOOO!!!_ "

 Francis sat right up, slamming his head into Brad's bed. Richie accidentally rolled over, falling off of his bed and landing face-first onto the floor.

  "Ow." said his muffled voice.

   "AAAAGGGHH!!!!" I screamed, falling off of my bed. I could feel all those stings, all around me in the uncomfortable places! I rolled around, scratching myself crazy, completely freaking out.

 Francis, terrified, got out of bed and tried to run away, but he instead tripped on Richie and crashed into the wall.

  "WHOA WHOA WHOA!" Brad yelled, trying to make sense of it all.

 Panicked and losing all rationality in my head, I instantly bolted to the door and practically broke it open.

 Everyone was running out, surprised, scared, having no idea what to do. I ignored them as I scratched myself all over, wincing ten times a second in pain. I bolted to the bathroom, but it was locked!

 What vague part of my mind that was still thinking straight remembered the other bathroom, and I instantly tore open the door leading to the stairs.

 Hopping on one foot down the stairs, I finally made it to the bottom and was about to run to the bathroom when Mr. Frared came out of nowhere, wearing a nightcap and one of those old-fashioned PJs.

 He raised a giant dictionary and screamed, "WWAAAAGGGHHH!!!! TAKE _THAT_ BOGEYMAN!"

 However, I tripped on my single foot and crashed into Frared. We both landed on the floor with a crash as the dictionary flew into the air.

 Mr. Frared got up, and clearing his eyes, took a look at me. "Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon?" he asked, confused. "What on earth are you-"

 However, the dictionary fell down and landed on his head.

  " _Polly had a cracker_ ," he muttered in a dazed fashion before falling onto the floor with his tongue sticking out.

 Too busy to say sorry, I instantly got up and leaped over Frared, hopping on my right foot towards the bathroom.

 By then, everyone was getting out of bed, wondering what in ninjago was happening.

 I nearly crashed into Spirius-1, but he managed to scuttle out of the way. "MR. GARMADON, I'M AFRAID YOU'RE COVERED IN FIRE ANTS!" he yelled, chasing after me.

 I was too busy scratching myself to enjoy knowing what was biting me. Instead, I shoved away a random student who was returning from the bathroom, slammed the door shut as I entered, and locked it.

 I then hopped towards the sink, turning on the light. I was blinded by it, but I didn't care as I hopped into the sink, which was really a giant stone tub with a fountain in the middle with motion sensors.

 As water began covering me, I could feel the fire ants running away in fear. Relief flooded my limbs. Outside, I could hear people talking as they gathered;

  "WHAT IN TARNATION IS GOIN' ON?!!"

  "I know, right?! I was in the middle of this _really_ good chapter!"

  "Ah, it appears that Mr. Garmadon has suffered an incident with some fire ants."

  "Oh, don't worry, the nurse will probably be able to fix that... right?"

  "Who did this?! I don't want the boy to be damaged! Although, admittedly, a prank or two might teach him a few lessons about respect..."

  "Which is why you must stop babying him, Draik!"

  " _Lord_ Draik, Metallicus."

  "Hey, where's Frared?"

 Somehow, I knew everyone shrugged.

 I suddenly heard someone banging (though it sounded more like an elephant falling down) on the door.

  "OPEN UP!!!!" Coach Yelatem's voice roared.

  "Uh... I'm still trying to, erm, heal from my... _injuries_ ," I replied awkwardly.

  "Mr. Garmadon, if what I am hearing is correct, you should see Juriyn, the school nurse!" Draik yelled.

 As I scratched myself on the back, I began contemplating on my dream. Despite being pretty young, I already read Percy Jackson, and from what I know, ALL his dreams were true.

 I would've told Draik, but now that I thought about it, what if Metallicus DIDN'T know about this? And from what the 'Dark Lord' said to Samukai, he could beat pretty much anyone. If that was true, Draik was in for.

 I soon realized this was pretty valuable information. I finally decided to keep it a secret, and use it later on to blackmail my way out of trouble.

 I suddenly heard Coach Yelatem banging on the door again. "OPEN UP!!!" he yelled. "OR THE DOOR - _AND YOU_ \- GETS IT!!!"

  "Uh... coming!" I said rather lamely, climbing out of the sink in a wet mess. I walked out, dripping all over, and opened the door.

 The sight that greeted me was an awkward one. Someone had turned on the lights, and I saw all of the teachers (except Frared) and Spirius-1 greeting me.

 Coach Yelatem was wearing flannel pajamas with bunny slippers. Beside him, Metallicus glared at me, looking exactly the same and somehow not tired. Next to him, floating in the air, was a combination of pajama shorts and T-shirt, and a towel wrapped around nothing floating above, with two bunny slippers that matched Yelatem's on the floor and dripping wet. Ms. Arakchos stood by, but this time, her brain dome was on table-like robot with wheels, the same coloring as her main body, and a web of arms (I later learned this was some escape-pod kind of body for Ms. Arakchos when her main one wasn't within reach). Draik stood in the middle in his bat form, glaring at me.

 Suddenly, Mr. Scors ran in, wearing a bathrobe over his armor and some cucumber slices on his mask (over where his eyes should've been).

  "I DIDN'T GO TO THE SALON!" he yelled, facing me (or so he thought he did; in reality, he was facing the water fountains, which were to my left).

  "This is awkward," I commented. All of them (except Mr. Scors, who instead stared at Trexdis on accident) glared at me.

  "The nurse is on the first floor, near the entrance," Draik told me coldly. "You can't miss it."

 I nodded, before walking over to the elevator. As I did, I noticed Mr. Scors lean towards Trexdis and sniff her hair.

  "Ooh," he said. "Aloe Vera! Nice!"

  "Thanks. What do you use?"

  "Cherry Blossom."

  "SOAP IS FOR SISSIES! BACK IN MY TIME WE USED LITERAL TOOTH COMBS TO SCRAPE OFF DIRT AND GERMS!"

  "You know, some time after Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek discovered bacteria, and before soap, we used hot water, NOT TOOTH COMBS YOU IMBECILE!!!"

 After going to the first floor using the elevator (and listening to 'La-la-la-la-laaa'), I arrived at the entrance. I looked around, and saw two doors, one on each side. One said, "NURSE' in bold print, the other, 'PROCESSED PROKARYOTIC BACTERIA'. I had no idea what 'PROCESSED PROKARYOTIC BACTERIA' was, but the word 'bacteria' made the positions of the two rooms a bit ironic.

 I shrugged and knocked on the door that said, 'NURSE'. For a moment, there was a pause. Then, a voice yelled out from inside, "Come in!"

 It was a sweet, gentle, and kind voice, and instantly made me think of Ms. Chafer, although it seemed quite a bit younger. Shaking it off, I opened the door and walked inside.

 The room was pretty bright, and nearly everything looked white. It was all clean and polished, too. There were four beds, each side-by-side, leaning against the wall. On the other side of the room was a counter, with a sink. Above that was a huge mess of cabinets, with labels placed neatly over them.

 There were a few stools nearby and a rack filled with a bunch of random magazines. Along the walls was some sort of metal railing.

  "Hello, Mr. Garmadon."

  "AAGGHH!!!!"

 Surprised, I ended up slipping on the water dripping all over the floor and fell down. I groaned as I got up, and saw something crawling across the metal railing towards me.

 It was made of several dark gray, metal segments. It had a serpentine shape, with no arms or legs. Attached to the end of it was a head. It was completely covered in metal, with several holes of varying sizes filled with glowing green glass. It had a square shape, and around the neck was a whole mess of mechanical arms, all wielding some strange utensil of some sort. The other end of the being was attached to the railing, rolling along it.

 One of the hands, this one armed with pincers, helped me get up. "Sorry for startling you," the being apologized. "My name is Juriyn. How may I be of assistance?"

  "Uh... I woke up with fire ants biting me all over, and I freaked out and managed to wash all of them away," I answered nervously. This Juriyn was weird; she reminded me of Ms. Arakchos, but she seemed a lot more kinder and gentle.

 Juriyn made a tsking noise. "You poor thing," she said sympathetically. "Let me help you."

 One of her arms opened a cabinet and took out a tube of ointment. Unscrewing the cap off, another hand, this one with a piece of rubber at the end, began applying ointment onto my ant bites. I sighed with relief.

  "Thanks!" I said. Juriyn nodded. "You're welcome."

 As she began applying more ointment, I decided to make some conversation. "So... how's your day?" I asked, bored. Juriyn nodded. "It was fine, thank you."

  "So... how did you get like this?"

 Oops.

 For a moment, Juriyn stopped and looked at me. I could tell I might've offended her. And then, suddenly, she said cryptically, "I honestly don't know."


	16. I gossip with the Nurse about the School Faculty

 I instantly thought of amnesia. The stuff was always typically given in every single movie by a hard whack on the head (although I think I remember one of the people at the orphanage saying that's impossible).

  "Amnesia?" I asked, self-consciously scratching one of my ant bites. Juriyn whacked my hand away.

  "Well... no," she admitted. "Possibly."

  "Well, can you explain?" I asked. If I wanted to know about the people here, I'd have to take every chance I got.

  "It started not too long ago..." she explained.

  "I didn't remember much at the time. My first memory was awakening in some labratory... then I saw Ms. Arakchos and Metallicus. Arakchos told me I was to be some medic for the wounded. I had no memory and hadn't developed a will, so I accepted my duties. Then, I remember being taken here. I was told to heal many. Most were children, but a few... they were different. Grown up, they were, at least some. After I healed them, Arakchos would arrive and I'd never see them again."

 I could already imagine what happened to those people.

  "That is really all I remember ever since," Juriyn admitted. "I don't know if I was a child or an adult, or if Juriyn really is my name... but I do have one now, and I have a duty as well, a purpose. And so I do not complain."

 I suddenly felt a sharp stab of guilt. Even though I had nothing to do with it, I felt sorry for her. I reflected on how I always thought my situation was bad enough; but Juriyn....

  "Also," she added. "I remember others talking around me, too. At the time, they did not care, for they did not think I had much of a will to spill secrets or anything. It was only Metallicus who learned of my change in character..."

  "What did they say?" I asked, curious.

 Juriyn hesitated for a moment. "Well... I remember them mentioning a child... his name was... yes, David Cross. They spoke well of him, until...."

  "Until what?" 

 Juriyn suddenly twitched, and said, "I am sorry. Something is... wrong with my memory."

 I stared for a moment. I wondered if this had something to do with Ms. Arakchos.

  "Can you tell me anything else?" I asked. Juriyn shook her head, clearing her mind, before saying yes.

  "Great! Can you tell me why the teachers are so... _weird?_ "

 Juriyn hesitated for a moment, apparently mulling over the decision with a lot more uncertainty than I'd expected. Time passed and I almost spoke up, when she suddenly nodded.

  "...Sure!" She declared, and I beamed, suddenly feeling that hunger for knowledge again. "Granted, what I'm about to tell you might not be ENTIRELY correct... it's mostly based off of snippets of words and info I've overheard..."

 I shrugged. "It's better than nothing," I offered.

 Juriyn nodded. "Right... now then," she muttered, thinking back. "His name is Frared... Yeah, Jonathan Frared. Based on what I heard, he was a young lad when he met Draik. The man wanted him as an... ally. In return, he would show him dark secrets... and so Jonathan accepted. He traveled with Draik, and his partner, Metallicus. However, one day, the three encountered a terrible sorceress... one hungry for power. She challenged Draik, and during the duel, one of her spells struck the wrong target... and Jonathan was never the same ever since."

  "He got mutated by magic?" I asked. "Creepy."

 Juriyn nodded. "Yes, his body was twisted, but thankfully not his mind. While his mutations have taken some toll on him, he has still maintained his personality."

  "Wow!" I said, eyes wide. This was like gossip, the stuff I heard the girls at my orphanage talk about, but a lot more cooler and without the stupid love-stuff!

  "And then... there was her, yes, the scientist... Melissa Arakchos. Melissa was -and still is- cruel and sadistic. When caught doing cruel acts by her fellow peers, she was fired and banned from science. Enraged, she sought to create the most ruthless weapon to prove her superior intelligence; and suffered, as Draik says, 'irreversible consequences'. In the hospital, she met Draik, in disguise, who took interest in her scientific knowledge. The two joined forces, him giving her the knowledge to craft a new body for herself." 

  "Gross," I muttered. "But cool! Go on."

  "Then there was the young one, Kate Trexdis. She was an orphan, you see. I don't know the details, but something... _bad_ happened. Depressed, she refused to eat or sleep. Then, one day, Draik came to her. It was the same case with Jonathan; he was looking for 'allies'. He promised to help her with her problem. So, she agreed, and along with Melissa, Metalllicus, the mutated Jonathan, Vaidd, and Yelatem, began work at Darkley's."

  "However, one day, when Draik and Melissa were experimenting with alternate mirror worlds, they decided to send a test subject... and so Trexdis was sent. Things went well at first, but then something went horribly wrong... and so she was permanently invisible ever since."

  "And then, there was brutal Yelatem. He was once a professional boxer, but one day, he was banned due to 'overly agressive tactics' as they called it. Enraged, he decided to show his superior power by robbing banks, but was soon captured by the police. Draik, seeing his lust for strength and little care for humanity making him an ideal test subject, recruited him."

  "Yelatem agreed, on one condition; he would be given super-human strength, speed, and stamina. So Melissa set to work making a super-serum, and created a device that would daily pump it into his veins, making him all the more brutal. However, the side-effect was that it made him look rather frail and weak, much to his anger."

  "And, to top it off, there was Vaidd Scors, the secretary. According to Vaidd, he was a prized lawyer. One day, however, he was hired by a man in one of the most difficult cases in history. In the end, he won, and to celebrate, he went to a fancy restauraunt. On the way, however, he went too close to Melissa's labratory; and suffered consequences, not as dire as hers, but still terrible. After finding Melissa, Draik sought out Vaidd and made a suit to keep him alive." 

  "Whoa," I muttered. "So, what you're saying is that, because they had no life, all of the teachers were hired by Draik and got mutated in the process or something like that?"

  Juriyn paused for a moment, contemplating this. "Well.... yes, I suppose so. Except for Jonathan, of course; he already had a life, as you children sometimes say, but it was more like he threw his away upon joining Draik."

 I nodded. "Wait, so what about Metallicus?" I asked. I was still wondering why he wore that suit of armor and all.

 Ms. Juriyn shrugged (or at least did the closest thing to a shrug somone like her could do). "Metallicus... he never speaks of his past, or even makes any hint to it, perhaps even when he is alone."

  "Wait a minute..." I said. "On the plaque above his classroom door, it mentions him being the victim of a Mantore or something, and then it says he was the leader of the Metal Clan!"

 Juriyn stared.

  "Oh, right... you don't attend the classes. But still, in my encyclopedia, it said that there were these clans who tried to take over Ninjago or something and fought each other, until this Devourer thingy kicked all of their butts. Then, they all vanished mysteriously, including the leaders."

  "Go on," Juriyn said enthusiastically. I wondered if she always wanted to know about Metallicus' past (and if the teachers did, too).

  "So, if it says he's leader of the Metal Clan, which disappeared centuries ago... maybe he's a descendant of its leader, the rightful heir and whatnot!" I theorized, getting all the more excited.

  "I think I can figure it all out!" Juriyn continued. "Basically, Metallicus, seeking to restore his family's honor and revive the Metal Clan, sought out Draik's help..."

  "But then either something wrong happened to him," I finished. "Or he just wears his armor to show off he's related to the Metal Clan!"

  "INGENIOUS!" the both of us yelled, excited.

 After calming down, Juriyn got a towel and managed to dry me off as much as possible. I was still sickeningly damp, but figuring out Metallicus' backstory -or at least building the groundwork for a theory- was enough.

  "Thanks, Juriyn," I said as I walked out of the door. Juriyn might've attempted to smile back as she said, "And... THANKS, Lloyd, for helping me find a new curiosity."

 As I closed the door and began walking down the corridor, I thought of how I might actually survive Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys.

 I mean, as I thought about it, I realized I still had some friends here at this place. I had Brad, Richie, Francis, possibly Gene, Finn, Terrence, and Diablo Sanchez. Then, Trexdis seemed like a good ally, too, not to mention Juriyn and maybe Spirius-1, who I seemed to get along with.

 And all I really had to do was study a lot and pay attention in class. It'd be boring, but a lot less painful than failing Draik. Still, I couldn't help but wonder if my mom, uncle, and grandma were still alive. I really hoped so, but so far, the only peson I was certain that survived was my uncle. And, well, he... ended my dad.

 The school was pitch-dark when I left the clinic. I still remembered the way by heart, though; straight forward, into the elevator, go up, and then go forward, turn right, and go up the stairs.

 As I entered the elevator and listened to 'La-la-la-la-laaaa', I began thinking about my dream. I was pretty sure I'd heard of the Under World before at some point, which Samukai mentioned- For all I knew, the Dream had taken place there. And who was this Dark Lord?

 As I burned for these answers, I decided to do my research tommorrow. When the elevator door opened, however, I saw Brad.

  "Uh... hi, Brad," I said suspiciously. I doubted he would stay up just to check on my welfare.

 Brad looked sheepish. "Hey, Lloyd," he muttered. "...Listen, before I tell you my news, you've got to know something."

 I looked at him warily. "And that is?" I asked.  


  "Well... face it, Lloyd. Draik, he wants his students to be smart and strong, right?"

I nodded.

  "Well, there's just one problem; some don't turn out the way he wants them to. They're brilliant and strong, but they're too soft, as Metalicus says. He says some are too afraid to serve Draik, and run away. Others become good guys and heroes instead. The ones who run away are tracked down and taken to Ms. Arakchos to 'fix'. The heroes are personally dealt with by Metallicus."

 I was beginning to understand what Brad was telling me. It wasn't all about smarts or strength; those qualities were pointless if you wouldn't bother to serve Draik. And even then, I wondered if those students who ran away were the ones Ms. Juriyn mentioned healing before never seeing them again...

  "But then there are kids who grow up to be ruthless, but they lack loyalty. So they think they can go on their own, maybe even beat Draik. That's when Draik has them captured and sends them to the.... beast."

  "What beast?" I asked suspiciously. "And who told you this?"

 Brad sighed. "Trexdis. She told me to tell you this. As for the beast... she didn't really specify. Anyways, so it's not really about smarts of strength. To Draik, the true thing he's looking for is loyalty. He's making an army with us, you see, and all the teachers know it. Only Trexdis minds."

  "By teachers, does that include the nurse?"

  "No...? Anyways, Trexdis wanted me to tell you this; you've got to stick with Draik. If you prove your loyalty, even if you're the stupidest kid or the most shrimpy, he'll probably just have you 'upgraded' as they say."

  "So strength and smarts are a bit important, too, right?"

 Brad shrugged. "Yeah, if you also don't want to be an evil cloud or General Grievous."

  "But what's the real message?" I demanded. "You told me I had to hear this before you told me. Well, you're finished."

 Brad shuffled around a bit in a sheepish fashion.

  "Listen, Lloyd, Trexdis is watching out for you... so am I... because, quite frankly, you've got lots of potential. On the other hand, you're too new. And you've got the greatest burden because Draik wants you to be his perfect minion."

 I raised an eye.

  "Basically, I've got to teach you to be used to the harshness of this school. You've got to learn to accept pranks with humility, and you need to go through them without crying. You've got to have a tough heart, and so... I had to put an example for you, in the form of a prank... A prank YOU just suffered."


	17. The End (For Now)

 My eyes widened as I felt a sharp stab of betrayal.

   "YOU put the fire ants in my bed?!" I demanded, angry. I couldn't believe this guy! Here I was, all alone, trying to survive, and I barely made it, and now he just ruined my reputation with the fire ants prank! I was back at square 1! The teachers may still have respect for me, but my classmates wouldn't. Despite myself, my eyes stung a little and I blinked rapidly, looking away.

  Brad nodded guiltily. "Listen, Lloyd, I can't let you learn to be a student here the easy way!" he protested. "I'll give you a prank here and there, to test your reaction! If you cry, you'll be at square 'negative google' as Gene says. Once the others wake up, you're gonna have to toughen up. Get over it."

 I glared at him. "Oh, sure, maybe you could've at least given me a warning?!"

 Brad sighed. "That would've been bad. Lloyd, you've got to get used to surprises."

 I rolled my eyes. "Okay, so sure, I need to be used to surprises," I admitted. "But a bucket of rubber spiders on my head would've been better!"

 Brad shook his head. "Lloyd, listen, you were getting over your head. The truth is, I've looked at you, and you've got no skill YET. But you see, there's no such thing as an easy way, unless you can find a genie, but be practical. This is no place for a softie."

 For a moment, I considered his words. As I thought about it, I realized that maybe he was right. Maybe. 

  "Still," I muttered, too stubborn to admit it. "If this place is as terrible as you say it is, how come the Ninjagoan governments haven't shut it down or something?!"

 Brad shook his head. "Darkley's pretends to be a theme school, where they 'teach' you to be villains, but in reality still give you an education, that stuff. Some people believe it, some don't. My parents sent me there, either they were dumb enough, or were just too busy," he replied bitterly.

 My heart softened just a little bit (okay, a whole lot) for him.

  "Well... I'm sure they had good reason," I lied, trying to cheer him up. "Maybe they didn't know it was _this_ terrible and wanted you to learn to stick up for yourself."

 Brad shrugged. "Maybe," he muttered. "Anyway, and even if the truth was revealed, and trust me, there's plenty of evidence, the Ninjagoan governments still can't shut it down. Thanks to legal loopholes and land rights, that thing, Darkley's is like its own entire nation, so it's trespassing to go in without permission, and an act of total aggression to attempt to shut it down or something."

 I nodded. "I see," I muttered. And now, even as I thought about, I realized that he was right. The path of a villain was hard; lots of times, you'd have no friends, but you'd always have enemies. And life never gave a heads-up to guys like Voldemort or Darth Sidious, either.

 Finally, after plenty of mental debate, I nodded. It still hurt what he had done, but then so did my life in general. I might as well take advantage of whatever help I could get. "Okay. So you're right. What do you plan to do from now on?"

 Brad nodded, relieved. "I can show you the ways of Darkley's," he answered. "I can show you the hidden passages, the attitudes, how to escape tight situations, see them before they happen, and make plenty of perfect pranks and teach you to be the ultimate teacher's pet."

 I paused for a moment, contemplating this, until, finally, I said, "Okay then."

 Brad grinned.

 So did I. 

 Brad turned away as he began walking back to the dorm. "Oh, and by the way," he added, looking over his shoulder. "I might occasionally just swoop in and tell you a few tips depending on the situation, and throw in the casual prank."

 I nodded, self-consciously scratching an ant bite. Soon enough, Brad disappeared into the darkness of the hallway.

 As I began thinking about what he had said, I realized Brad was, in a way, a lot like me.

 We both were afraid our parents might not have wanted us in the end. We knew the truth about this school and how terrible it was. We realized that in this place, there was no room for kindness or compassion, and that we had to be ruthless and harsh. We both knew how dangerous Draik and a few other teachers were. We both knew we were pretty much alone. We both knew who to trust and who not to. We both knew to appeal to the teachers.

 And, as I began walking down the hall, I suspected that Brad, too, had some sort of secret that made him feel alone here. I promised myself I'd help him, too, just like he helped me.

 But first; I knew Brad was telling me I also had to be independent, too, in his own cryptic way. I decided that even when he wasn't 'teaching' me as he said, I'd have to figure things out on my own.

 And I set another goal for myself; find about Metallicus. Learn who he was, what intentions he had. I could tell he was evil. And not some stereotypical evil where the bad guy wants to rule the world. No, it was a sinister kind. This was a hungry kind, one that didn't care much for others unless they were with him. One who wouldn't rest, was ruthless and persistent, and would only hesitate to see if his actions were logical.

 And sadly, most of the time, they were.

 I also promised myself to find my mom, grandmother, and maybe, _possibly_ my uncle. I'd find out about them, and I'd also learn about this new Dark Lord and his possibly more dangerous and evil ally, Samukai.

 

 By the time I entered the dorm, everyone was still awake, thanks to my accident with the fire ants. They were all buzzing around, making graffiti to-be doomed to Spirius-1's mop.

 However, as soon as my foot went in contact with the carpet, they all faced me.

  "Hey Lloyd! What happpened?"

  "Why'd you wake us up!?"

  "Do you like ceviche?"

 Everyone was crowding around me, swarming with the exact same question, just rephrased. A few simply stood by and sneered at me, making a few jokes about my incident with the other kids.

 At first, I was both confused, overwhelmed, and angry. But I had to teach myself as well, not have Brad do it. I had to put my foot down and take charge.

 So I did.

 Literally.

 Slamming my right foot down (accidentally on a random kid's foot), I yelled, "GIVE ME SOME SPACE!"

 Everyone instantly retreated from me for about four feet, as if I carried some plague, surprised and impressed. Even the meaner kids, including Finn, stopped.

 Calming down, I cleared my throat. "Okay, basically, to get a short story even shorter," I said, trying to be smart but not ridiculously casual. "Someone put fire ants in my bed. I go to the nurse and get better. The end."

  "How's it like getting bitten all over by fire ants?" one of my classmates asked. About five in the background had already yawned and went back to their rooms.

 I scratched my nose, taking advantage of the pause to think of what next to say. "Well... it feels like someone's pinching you all over. Really hard."

 Several of my classmates (about fifteen) seemed impressed. The rest (about three) weren't. I remembered I knew I had to gain their respect. It was what Brad said.

  "So, guys, who wants to talk about why the teachers are so-"

  "Weird?"

  "Freakish?"

  "Alien?"

 I knew instantly that everyone was wondering why. If I could answer those questions, they'd be impressed on how I found out. 

 On the other hand, I wondered if they'd believe me. After all, like Brad said, they had already lost some repect for me. Then again, I could just ask Juriyn to tell them as well.

 As I toyed around with that idea, everyone began crowding around the fruit table, and I decided to follow suit. By then, all the couches and chairs were filled, and me and a small number of kids had to sit on the floor (which was pretty uncomfortable).

 Someone voluntarily turned off the lights, probably to add some spook, and another person turned on a flashlight.

 That person turned out to be Finn.

  "Okay," he said. "As since we don't want to go to bed, we might as well pass the time like Lloyd said." He gestured towards me, and even though he probably didn't think much of me now, I still took it as a slight term of respect or something.

  "I think the teachers are all aliens!" a nearby classmate put in.

  "No, stupid, then they'd look the same!" another kid retorted.

  "Maybe it's a universe with different species, like Star Fare!" a beefy student pointed out.

 Deciding I'd probably tell them later, I decided to help them figure it out.

  "Maybe all of them were human, except Draik?" I added.

 A few kids nodded, and I could tell they agreed that Draik definitely wasn't human, no matter what.

  "But what about Frared?" a kid with hair like spaghetti pointed out.

  "Maybe Draik got mad at all of them," the 'alien theory' (AT, for short) kid suggested.

  "But he's no techy, and look at Arakchos!" Beefy (the beefy kid) put in.

  "Maybe he injured Ms. Arakchos," I suggested. "And she made a body herself?"

  "Good point. Maybe she did the same with the other teachers?" Terrence pointed out, grinning.

  "Yeah! Yelatem does have the weird machine on his back," Stringy (spaghetti-hair) suggested.

  "And maybe Draik punished Trexdis himself!" Two (the second kid who spoke) added. 

  "Makes sense," AT muttered.

  "But what about Frared?" Beefy pointed out. "It looks like he went either way."

  "Probably," agreed Two. "But besides him, what of Scors and Metallicus?"

  "Maybe they're just too ugly," Terrence joked, and everyone laughed.

  "Yeah, maybe it's like with Anakin Skywalker," I pointed out.

 Everyone murmured in agreement.

  "But you know what's weird?" Stringy added. "It's that no one's seen Metallicus eat. Have you ever noticed that?"

 Everyone nodded, talking to each other.

 I blinked. Metallicus never ate?

  "Maybe he just does it alone because he's too shy?" I suggested.

  "Then why's he so ruthless and content with giving us homework?" Two suggested.

  "Maybe he's sensitive while eating," Beefy suggested. "My dad always got sensitive when people commented on how much he ate."

  "Or maybe he IS an alien, and he only needs to eat every ten years!" AT pointed out.

 We all shook out heads at that idea. It was too ridiculous.

  "Okay, so here's what we all agree on," Finn interrupted, taking charge.

  "Basically, we think that Draik is some creature who punished Arakchos, maybe for being rude or something. So she made a robo-body, and later on altered Yelatem, and maybe did the same with Frared."

  "I still think they're aliens," AT muttered.

  "So then, later on, Draik got mad at Trexdis, Metallicus, and Scors, and turned Trexdis invisible and injured the other two, like Lloyd said," Terrence finished.

 I couldn't help but wonder if they were beginning to accept me in their class because of my suggestions.

  "Yeah, I think we've got a good idea," Beefy said smugly.

  "And unless we can ask the teachers," Stringy added. "Then this is the best we've got!"

  "Maybe we could do some 'research'?" I suggested, trying to be a bit daring.

 AT nodded at that idea. "Unless Lloyd's magic encylopedia has answers, then we're at a dead end." 

  "So you're gonna make a team to find out more?" I asked. I was really beginning to wonder if I should tell them in the end about everything I knew about the teachers.

 Stringy nodded. "What happened to the teachers was the most frequently asked questions by rookies. On the other hand, Lloyd, you haven't really asked at all!"

  "Um... so?" I asked cautiously.

  "Well, it's made us thinking," Beefy muttered. "You're not too stupid to ask questions. Maybe you could help us?"

 Terrence nodded. "Besides, you've got your encyclopedia, too!"

  "So, you gonna join?" Two asked.

 I considered it. The idea rolled around in my head. If I joined, then I would most definitely get some respect from my classmates. On the other hand, this could get me into trouble with the teachers.

 I thought about it, until I finally decided what to do.

  "Okay," I replied. "But on one condition; anything we find out about Draik is accidental. If he finds out we're snooping around in his business... that won't be pretty."

 Two, AT, Beefy, Stringy, and Terrence nodded. They seemed slightly disappointed, but I could tell they agreed that Draik was too nasty to get him mad at us. I also, too, decided not to tell them about the teachers' actual past. Ever. Otherwise, they'd get mad at me for not telling sooner.

  "So, when do we start?" I asked.

  "Tomorrow afternoon?" Beefy suggested.

  "Nah, tomorrow's Halloween," Terrence pointed out.

 Huh. Halloween. I had forgotten all about it.

  "So Sunday, after lunch," Two decided. We all murmured in agreement.

  "Oh, and don't forget to bring your encyclopedia, Lloyd," Stringy reminded me.

 I nodded enthusiastically. I was definitely earning some respect. "I won't!" I promised, a little _too_ enthusiastically, but the others didn't care.

  "So what now?" I asked.

 AT shrugged. "Rock Paper Scissors?"

 We all groaned, but soon got into pairs and began playing the wretched game. 

 Soon enough, most of us went back to bed, some because they were tired, others because they hated the game, and most because of both.

 By the time only Finn and the Search Gang (Terrence, Two, AT, Beefy, and Stringy) were left, along with me, Finn finally broke up the silence.

  "So, Lloyd," he said. "Well, this is your first day here. And, well, as Brad always says, we should introduce the newbies by the end of the night."

 Terrence nodded. "Besides, we can see you've got guts if you want to go risk trouble with the teachers to find out about them! Especially Metallicus!"

 I nodded reluctantly, although I was still unsure about messing with Metallicus and Ms. Arakchos. On the other hand, I had to earn some respect for myself and not chicken out of everything.

  "Uh... thanks," I replied suspiciously, wondering how Finn would 'welcome' me.

  "Basically, Lloyd," Finn went on. "Let me tell you the rules of this school. These are the hidden rules, as we call them, because no one says them out loud but they're painfully obvious."

  "Basically, one; Don't ask too many questions. If you ask too many, we then think of you as annoying and dumb."

  "Uh, yeah, got that," I muttered, but I had already figured that out. Still, I could use some advice from Finn, who practically ruled his class.

  "Two; never talk to Frared before he has his morning dose of coffee. Trust me, it's not a pretty sight."

 I decided to take his word for it. I was young, but I had already observed that coffee was like the Fountain of Youth or something to the adults.

  "Three; while it is good to be a trouble-maker, don't overkill. Because if you do, you might get sent to the Principal's office. We're not talking about a wooden desk with an apple and that stuff. We're talking about Draik's personal headquarters."

  "Five; don't be dumb around Metallicus. Self-explanatory."

  "And six; don't be like you-know-who; David Cross." 

  "David Cross?" I asked, leaning in. "What about him?"

 Finn sighed. "Here's the story," he muttered. "Basically, there was once this student named David Cross. He was prodigious at all the subjects, and some rumors say that he was Metallicus' favorite. However, one day, when he was a teenager, he became interested in dark magic. This type was even more darker than the stuff Draik used."

  "Soon, he was obsessed. He began stealing from Draik's office, and taught himself to be one of the most powerful sorcerers in Ninjago. So Draik was, for the first time, afraid David might lose his loyalty towards him. So he told David personally not to be using the dark magic yet. But by then Cross was insane, and he turned on Draik."

  "Finally, after a huge battle, Metallicus and Arakchos came in and helped defeat Cross. However, Cross escaped and one day vowed he would return."

  "Wow," I muttered. "So, this David Cross is considered a myth?"

 Finn nodded. "Some because they don't want to believe in it, like Gene."

  "I wonder..." I muttered. I wondered if Gruesome, the skeleton, might've been Cross. Or maybe the skeleton was a servant of this Samukai. After all, they both wore the same insignia.

  "So remember the tale of Cross, and you might live," Finn reminded me. He got up and yawned. "Let's go to bed, guys," he muttered drowsily.

 Shrugging, we all got up and went back to our rooms. Inside, Brad, Richie, and Francis were all asleep. Closing the door, I fumbled through the darkness and went into my bed.

 I then could've sworn, that in the darkness, Brad gave me a thumbs-up.

 As I sat in bed, I realized the 'Dark Lord' sounded familiar. I instantly thought of Voldemort. I then wondered if Cross was real...

 And if he was after me.

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaaand that's a wrap! For now, at least... Lloyd's still got a LONG way to go, and a lot of questions to answer. And sometimes, answers can also be questions...
> 
> This is the first part of my Lloyd Garmadon Trilogy. For the next part, check out ~The Tales of Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon~ (to be posted soon) and see what happens next! I should warn you- This story is FAR longer than its predecessor and dwarfs it in size immensely.
> 
> But if you don't mind, then go on ahead, and see what tales Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon has to offer!


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